


no one here is cis

by frankiesin



Series: no one here is cis [1]
Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Mindless Self Indulgence, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, BJA for coolest teacher award, Bad Decisions, But Not Necessarily In A Good Way, Coming Out, Drama & Romance, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Genderfluid Characters, Hospitalization, Multi, Overdosing, Polyamory, Trans Character, Transphobia, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, Underage Sex, agender characters, gay straight alliances, group chat au, non binary characters, so much drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-14 22:18:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 102
Words: 207,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7193123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankiesin/pseuds/frankiesin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School. Gay Club. Comic book alter egos. The true lives of the fabulous (not cis) Killjoys. Mikey Way's freshman year of high school, immortalised through group chats and bad twitter decisions.  </p><p>((this starts out as a group chat AU but it doesn't stay as such once the plot starts))</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. a bunch of hets being het

**Author's Note:**

> So, I should be working on my marching band AU but I got distracted. Sorry. Anyway, here is a fun little AU which is going to be the love child of my bandom trans headcanons and my love for the killjoys. 
> 
> Everyone in the story will eventually come out as trans. The promoun/gender guide is below, as well as everyone's name. Some people might get misgendered, but that's only because they're not out/haven't figured out their gender yet. 
> 
> geewhiz: gee/gerard; nonbinary girl, uses xe/xem/xer or she/her/hers, junior  
> moikey: mikey; afab agender, uses they/them/theirs, freshman  
> morethanafro: ray; trans girl, uses she/her/hers, junior  
> zoid: lindsey/lynz; gendervoid, uses it/its/itself or they/them/theirs, senior  
> frnk_andthe_dogs: frank, transmasculine, uses he/him/his, freshman  
> p_wheezie: pete, transfeminine/genderpunk, uses any pronouns, sophomore  
> hatrick: patrick/trick, bigender, uses he/him his or she/her/hers pronouns, sophomore  
> joetrohfro: joe, gendermeh, uses he/him/his or they/them/theirs pronouns, sophomore  
> hurleyxvx: andy, trans boy, uses he/him/his pronouns, sophomore  
> brebdo: brendon, genderfluid, uses any pronouns, sophomore  
> dadtree: dallon, amab demienby, uses they/them/theirs, junior

- **geewhiz** has added  **moikey** ,  **morethanafro** , and  **zoid** to  **a bunch of hets being het** -

 

**moikey** : g why

**geewhiz** : u need friendship mikes u are about to high school

**gwwhiz** : it is a dangerous land

**morethanafro** : esp if you’re not a het like gerard 

**geewhiz** : excuse u ray i am the most het

**moikey** : do not lie to our mother like that

**geewhiz** : i will do what i want also where’s lynz

**morethanafro** : you killed her gee

**geewhiz** : but i’m in love with her why would i do that

**geewhiz** : (see mikey i’m a het)

**moikey** : blocked and reported

**morethanafro** : both of you are children

**zoid** : duh that’s why u r the mom friend

**morethanafro** : fuck

**morethanafro** : i’m too young for motherhood

**moikey** : then learn how to keep it in your pants and stop birthing us

**geewhiz** : don’t be a dick mikey

**moikey** : i cannot be a dick gerard i do not have a dick

**moikey** : where is my dick gerard who has it

**zoid** : i think she’s ready for high school

**morethanafro** : MIKEY IS TWELVE STOP PUSHING HER TO BE AN ADULT

 

Mikey and Gee both looked up from their phones. The two of them were in Gee’s room, on xer bed. Mikey bit at their nails. They knew that Gee had started the chat so that xe and Mikey could both come out to their friends. Gee was non-binary, and Mikey was agender. Both siblings figured that Lindsey and Ray would be accepting, since Lindsey was a lesbian and Ray was bisexual. Mikey and Gee weren’t straight, either, but Mikey knew that there were gay people out there who didn’t like trans people, or who thought that there were only two genders.

 

They were nervous. “Gee, I don’t know if I can do it.”

 

“Then we don’t have to.” Xe said. “If you’re not ready to come out, then we don’t have to come out.”

 

“No, I’m ready,” Mikey said, shaking their head, their stringy, shoulder-length hair falling into their face. “I just don’t think I can send the actual text saying that we’re both trans, you know? What if they get angry like Mom and Dad did? I don’t want to start crying again.”

 

“Lindsey and Ray won’t get mad. They’re both good people.” Gee said. Xe sat up, swinging their pale legs around. Over the summer, Gee had developed a weird obsession with short shorts. Mikey wasn’t sure how xer parents hadn’t noticed it yet, but Gee had been sneaking things past the parents for years. Xe probably knew what they were doing. Xe patted the seat next to xem on the bed. “If you want, you can come sit by me. That way, if either of them do take it badly, you’ll already be over here for me to hug.”

 

Mikey nodded. They got up and came over, sitting down next to their older sibling and resting their chin on xer shoulder. “Okay. I’m ready. Send the text.”

 

**geewhiz** : so we gotta tell you two something

**zoid** : omg are you pregnant

**geewhiz** : friendship terminated

**geewhiz** : no i’m not pregnant i’m trans

**morethanafro** : really?

**geewhiz** : yeah, so’s mikey. i use xe/xer or she/her and mikey uses they/them

**zoid** : cool 

**zoid** : sorry for saying u were pregnant also do u guys have a gender or???

**morethanafro** : you don’t need to tell us everything, btw

**zoid** : yeah if we get too personal you can smack us through the internet or whatever

 

Gee looked over xer shoulder at Mikey. “Do you want to go into details with them?”

 

“Yeah.” Mikey said, nodding against Gee’s shoulder. “I trust Ray and Lindsey. We’ve known them since forever.”

 

**geewhiz** : what do u want to know

**morethanafro** : when did you and mikey find out

**morethanafro** : like how did u know

**moikey** : gee knew first. xe came out to me like a year ago and then i started thinking about gender n stuff and asked them a fuckload of questions and basically realised that my gender is no

**geewhiz** : idk how i knew but i think when puberty hit i got really jealous of all my more feminine friends b/c they all got really pretty and i was like “why am i not a pretty girl”

**geewhiz** : except i don’t actually want to be a girl girl u kno

**geewhiz** : i just wanna be all the genders. in like a feminine way

**zoid** : so do you guys want/need new clothes or is this going to be between the 4 of us???

**moikey** : our parents didn’t take it well so we can’t be out at home

**moikey** : gee has a plan for school tho

**moikey** : gee share ur plan

 

Gee flicked Mikey’s forehead, missing their glasses. “You fucking nerd, we are in the same room.”

 

“Okay, and?” Mikey said. “You still need to share your plan.”

 

“Fine.” Gee said.

 

**geewhiz** : basically me and mikey are gonna go school shopping next week for like new clothes and books and shit and buy whatever we want regardless of whether it’s “boy” or “girl” clothes

**geewhiz** : then we’re gonna sort the clothes by assigned gender before we get home and mikey will say they bought all the “girl” clothes and i got all the “guy” clothes

**moikey** : but i’m not wearing any of gee’s shit

**moikey** : we’re gonna go freaky friday on these bitches

**geewhiz** : mikey don’t say that it’s fucking rude

**moikey** : bitches

**zoid** : bitches

**morethanafro** : bitches

**geewhiz** : i hate all of u

**moikey** : no u don’t

**geewhiz** : i hate u most

**moikey** : i’m telling mom u still smoke

**geewhiz** : i’m telling mom u gave gabe saporta a blowjob

**morethanafro** : OH SHIT

**zoid** : MIKEY

**zoid** : THE CHILD HAS GROWN UP RAY HOW DO YOU FEEL

**morethanafro** : I HAVE FAILED AS A MOTHER

**morethanafro** : also mikey pls don’t get mouth herpes gabe saporta has stuck his dick in many places if u know what i mean

**geewhiz** : i regret bringing this up 

**zoid** : u should

**zoid** : how dare you inform us of your siblings sex life

**zoid** : now how will they ever win at never have i ever

**moikey** : speaking of that game are we still going to ray’s house to play it and will there be shots

**morethanafro** : MIKEY UR 12 also yes to both

**geewhiz** : wine mom wine mom wine mom wine mom wine mom

**morethanafro** : vodka aunt vodka aunt vodka aunt vodka aunt vodka aunt

**zoid** : nah gee’s the beer aunt

**moikey** : is that even a thing

**geewhiz** : don’t question lindsey she knows all

**zoid** : yeah mikey also isn’t it past your bedtime

**moikey** : i am thirteen i am not a child

**morethanafro** : no ur a child

**morethanafro** : being 13 makes you the most child

**moikey** : bye i’m leaving it’s been fun i’m gonna make my own friends

  
- **moikey** has left  **a bunch of hets being het** -


	2. halp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gee and Mikey go to the mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is really fun to write, and surprisingly easy to write as well. I don't know why, but I'm okay with it.

- **moikey** has joined  **a bunch of hets being het** -

 

**moikey** : someone please come get me i hate shopping

**morethanafro** : what’s happening

**moikey** : gee lied about xer gender xe is one hundred percent female

**moikey** : not to stereotype or anything but xe has been trying on clothes for the past 30 minutes and i have run out of twitter notifications

**morethanafro** : how the fuck are you twitter famous again? because no offense but you’re literally a child

**moikey** : i post #relatable content

**moikey** : and unlike gee i actually make sense

**moikey** : also my icon is our cat and everyone loves internet cats

**morethanafro** : send me a picture of one of your cats i’m gonna make myself internet famous

**moikey** : ray u never go on twitter

**morethanafro** : yes but

**morethanafro** : it will add to my mysterious presence

**moikey** : ur not mysterious sorry

 

“Mikey? Who are you texting?” Gee asked. Mikey looked up to see xem peering around the curtain, xer body mostly hidden. Mikey turned their phone around so that Gee could see that they were only talking to Ray. Gee’s eyes flicked back and forth as xe read the messages, and then xe looked up at Mikey. “Stop using Vaya and Vamos to get twitter followers. Also, come in here and tell me if this looks good.”

 

“Can’t you come out?” Mikey said, and then  made eye contact with their sibling and realised they had made a pun. The two started laughing, which got the attention of the other people in the store and made the two Way siblings stop laughing. Mikey had really bad anxiety, and Gee was weirdly shy sometimes. Xe was somewhat of a loner. Mikey bit at their nail again, ignoring how it throbbed when they ripped too much off. “But, seriously, can’t you come out here?”

 

“I’m nervous, Mikey.” Gee said. “I’ve never presented as a girl anywhere other than in my room. And we need to make sure you can fit in it too, while we’re at it.”

 

Mikey frowned, but got up anyway. They knew that Gee had gotten a lot of really girly clothing, and Mikey hated girly clothing. Skirts and dresses were not really their thing at the moment. They felt too freeing, like the fabric could flip up and expose their ass at any time. 

 

Mikey hoped Gee knew what they were getting into. They stepped into the changing room and closed the curtain, taking Gee in. Xe was wearing a black crop top that said “I don’t need the internet, the internet needs me” and a pair of high-waisted frayed jean shorts. Mikey shoved their hands into the pockets of their baggy jeans, which they had inherited (stolen) from Gee a year or two ago. “It looks okay, I guess?”

 

“Okay?” Gee said, running xer hand through xer hair frantically. “Mikey, I’m planning to wear this on the first day of school! I can’t just look  _ okay _ .”

 

“Gee, I know absolutely nothing about clothes.” Mikey said. “Also, I don’t think that Mom and Dad would be okay with me wearing a crop top to school.”

 

“Just wear a hoodie over it.” Gee said. “They’ll probably be too excited about you willingly wearing girl shorts to care to check what you’ve got on under your hoodie.”

 

“Sure, Gee, whatever you say.” Mikey said, rolling their eyes. They and Gee changed clothes quickly, so that the shop employees wouldn’t suspect anything, and Mikey realised that this whole switching clothes with each other thing wasn’t going to work as well as they had planned. While Mikey could pull off a loose crop top for the twenty minutes they would need to wear it, the shorts were way too big. Mikey could stick their hand down their pants. When they mentioned this to Gee, xe frowned. “Fuck, I forgot that we’re different sizes. Let me go get something smaller, maybe I can fit into it.”

 

“Gee, you don’t have to. We can just hide the shorts in a backpack or something.” Mikey said, stopping xem before xe could leave the dressing room. Gee made a face. “Are you sure? It wouldn’t be that hard to get a smaller pair and try them on.”

 

“I mean, if you want to.” Mikey said, even though they didn’t want Gee to. Gee left anyway, and as soon as xe was gone, Mikey grabbed their phone from the floor of the dressing room and opened up kik.

 

- **moikey** created the group  **halp** -

- **moikey** has added  **zoid** and  **morethanafro** to  **halp** -

 

**morethanafro** : oh no what did gee do now

**zoid** : do i need to go fight xem (also did i use the pronouns right i’m still getting used to this)

**moikey** : you got the pronouns right lindsey and u don’t need to fight xem

**moikey** : but i think xe’s about to start doing the Weight Hate thing again halp

**moikey** : i don’t want xem to hate xemself bc xe’s a little chubby this is bs

**zoid** : what’s the context moiks

**moikey** : we’re getting the gender bender clothing and suprise we’re not the same size so xe went back out to get a pair of shorts that’ll fit me even tho xe doesn’t have to bc all my clothes are baggy that’s my current Aesthetic ™ 

**moikey** : i mean one day i’d like to wear tight jeans but i would like to lessen my hips first

**morethanafro** : r u still wearing the original shorts?

**moikey** : ye why

**morethanafro** : pull the waistband in around your lack of booty without making it look unnatural and then when gee comes back be like “jk i figured out how to make them work i was just wearing them wrong”

**zoid** : good plan

**zoid** : xe won’t suspect anything considering you know jack shit about clothes

**morethanafro** : yeah watching project runway with you is literal torture

**moikey** : okay but consider this

**moikey** : i’m pretty much a straight man now

**moikey** : i have an excuse to not understand clothes and how to wear them

**moikey** : gee has returned wish me luck

 

Mikey dropped their phone and grabbed the waistband of their shorts just as the curtain began to ruffle and Gee reappeared, holding the same pair of shorts but in a noticeably smaller size. Xe looked Mikey up and down and raised an eyebrow. “Are those the same shorts?”

 

“Yeah.” Mikey said. “I was messing around with them while you were looking for a different pair and basically I still don’t know how to dress myself.”

 

“Oh.” Gee said. Xe stared at the shorts in xer hands. “So… should I put these back?”

 

“Probably.” Mikey said, adjusting their grip on the waistband. “I’m gonna put my earlier clothes on, unless there’s anything else you want me to try on?”

 

“Nah, if you fit those you probably fit everything else.” Gee said. Xe left Mikey alone to change back into their original outfit of baggy jeans and a band t-shirt for a local band that Mikey had seen last May. They pulled out their phone once Gee was out of the changing room.

 

**moikey** : it worked any tips for long term fitting

**zoid** : bobby pins

**zoid** : i have a fuckton if you need them

**morethanafro** : also most drugstores have them 

**moikey** : thanks guys

 

Mikey put their phone back in their pocket and waited for Gee to return. When xe did, the two gathered up the clothes they’d be buying and headed the check out. Once they’d gotten everything and left the store, Gee turned to Mikey. “Alright, your turn to pick out a store. You need to get some clothes too, you know. Otherwise Mom and Dad will get suspicious.”

 

“True.” Mikey said. “Usually you come home with too many clothes and I come home with only a jacket and a pair of jeans.”

 

“They’re gonna be so proud of you.” Gee said. Xe lifted the two bags of clothes xe already had. “Too bad you won’t be wearing any of these. They’re all mine.”

 

Mikey shrugged. “Honestly, Gee? You can keep them. I don’t really like short shorts that much.”

 

“I love short shorts.” Gee said. “They are my entire life.”

 

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it!


	3. no one here is heterosexual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit longer. Also, Frank!

The first day of school started without a hitch. Gee, in the Way family’s old minivan, drove xemself and Mikey to school and the two changed clothes in the backseat and trunk in the back of the parking lot, trusting the early morning light to not give them away. Once they were both changed, they crawled to the front of the vehicle and Mikey sat shotgun while Gee applied xer makeup. Mikey pulled down the mirror and tried to salvage their hair. They needed a new hairstyle if they were going to be taking night showers and then changing once they got to school every morning.

 

Once they gave up on their hair (and Gee was still working on xer makeup), Mikey pulled out their phone. They intended to recheck their schedule, but ended up on kik.

 

**zoid** : guys i’m a fucking senior what the fuck

**morethanafro** : you can’t hear me bc i’m in the band room but i’m clapping for you congrats lindsey

**moikey** : lindsey i’m in high school

**morethanafro** : baby sibling mikey is growing up!!! so proud!!

**zoid** : mikey ur making me feel old

**morethanafro** : u r old lindsey 

**morethanafro** : accept it

**zoid** : no

**zoid** : don’t wanna

**zoid** : mikey is gee awake or did xe fall asleep in homeroom already???

**moikey** : we’re still in the car

**moikey** : xe’s putting on makeup

**zoid** : why

**zoid** : it is not even 7 am does g have any chill

**morethanafro** : no 

**morethanafro** : lynz u of all people know that

**morethanafro** : g has less chill than u have heterosexuality

 

- **zoid** changed the name of the group to  **no one here is heterosexual** -

 

- **moikey** changed the name of the group to  **gay gay gay** -

 

**morethanafro** : mikey change it back lindsey’s was better

**moikey** : #offended

**geewhiz** : mieky stop insulting me while i’m applying lipgloss this is a delicate process

**geewhiz** : *mikey

 

- **moikey** changed their name to  **mieky** -

 

**morethanafro** : CHANGE IT BACK

**zoid** : where did u come from where did u go

**zoid** : where did u come from 

**zoid** : cotton eyed mieky

**geewhiz** : i hate all of you i’m crying now

**geewhiz** : you have ruined my hard work

**mieky** : don’t listen to xem xe’s makeup is fine

**mieky** : xe is also not crying

**mieky** : filthy liar

**geewhiz** : now i’m actually crying thanks mikey

**morethanafro** : wait aren’t you two in the same car

**geewhiz** : yes but u know you want to be a part of this tea spillage

**mieky** : no one is spilling any tea gee

**zoid** : U RHYMED

**zoid** : U MUST PUT A DOLLAR IN THE JAR

**morethanafro** : SIN SIN SIN SIN SIN SIN SIN 

**morethanafro** : who even has the jar

**zoid** : i do

**zoid** : i am queen of jars

**mieky** : queen of jar jar

**geewhiz** : 2 dollars mikey how does it feel to be broke af

**morethanafro** : ~i know when that jar jar binks~

**mieky** : BLOCKED

**mieky** : also ray now u gotta put a dollar in lindsey’s jar

**geewhiz** : why does lindsey still have the jar by the way

**zoid** : because i’m not a FLITHY SINNER like you nerds hah

**geewhiz** : #rude

**mieky** : stop stealing my brand

**geewhiz** : hashtags are not a brand mikey twitterfamous way

**mieky** : my middle name is twitterfamous now???????

**morethanafro** : yes

**morethanafro** : as your mother

**morethanafro** : who birthed you

**morethanafro** : i dub thee mikey twitterfamous way

**mieky** : thank you

 

“We should probably go in.” Mikey said, looking up from their phone. Gee made a popping sound with xer mouth and put xer makeup back in their bag. “True. Do you know where your homeroom is or do you want me to walk you there?”

 

“I can find it on my own.” Mikey said. “But thanks, anyway.”

 

The two siblings got out of the car. Mikey was in a tank top and somewhat baggy jeans (which were almost inappropriately tight on Gee) and Gee was in xer crop top and shorts, along with xer paint-stained white converse. The two walked in together, but split once they were actually in the building. Mikey pulled out their phone again to actually look at their schedule, and managed to get to homeroom before the bell rang. They found a seat near the back and settled in. Homeroom was the same as first period, so their seating choice was critical.

 

They were not looking forward to roll call.

 

**mieky** : honestly the worst part is gonna be when they call out my name and are like “michelle way??????”

**morethanafro** : i’m sorry mikes

**morethanafro** : maybe ur teacher will be a cool person and let u go by mikey?

**mieky** : i hope so

**mieky** : also shoutout 2 u and lindsey for being the coolest cis ppl ever

**mieky** : 10/10 would befriend again

 

Mikey looked up from their phone as another kid entered the room. She was short, with a dark brown pixie cut. She was also dressed in way too many layers to be comfortable. Mikey frowned, wondering if maybe she had some weird illness that made her cold all the time. They watched her cross the room, and managed to avert their eyes before she could make eye contact with them. She came over anyway and sat down in the seat beside Mikey. 

 

Up close, Mikey could see that she had a lip ring and red eyeliner and there was a crudely drawn Sharpie tattoo of a scorpion on her neck. If Mikey could get a picture without her noticing they’d send her to Gee. Gee would nut from the artistic possibilities. The girl next to Mikey looked like she belonged in one of the comic book ideas Gee was always coming up with but never got around to finishing.

 

**mieky** : update: there is a cool looking punx girl beside me

**zoid** : f u c k  h e r

**morethanafro** : once you have consent

**geewhiz** : can u get a pic????? i need it for Art Reasons ™ 

**mieky** : not without being creepy sorry gee

**geewhiz** : :((((((( worst sibling EVER

**mieky** : shut the fuck up and let me Live

**mieky** : also i’m not going to fuck her lindsey i don’t want to become the resident fuckboi

**morethanafro** : mikey = dat (fuck)boi

**mieky** : idk if you need to put a dollar in The Jar for that but u need to put a dollar in my jar 

**zoid** : u can’t just make ur own jar mikey twitterfamous way that’s not how this works

**geewhiz** : yeah mikey stop cheating

**mieky** : fuck da police i do what i want

 

The bell rang and Mikey’s first period teacher stood up, his eyes scanning the classroom as he looked at all of the freshmen in his class. Mikey felt bad for him, because there were about twenty-five kids and one teacher. 

 

“Alright, my name is Mr. Armstrong and I’m going to be teaching you about high school and United States history.” He said. “Before we get started with the course, I need to take roll. When I call your name, please say here. If the name you want to be called is not the name I say, now’s the time to correct me. I don’t want to find out in November that all of your friends are calling you by Jackie when your name on here is Ryan.”

 

Mikey took a deep breath and willed their jaw to unclench and their heart to stop beating so quickly. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Mr. Armstrong might be accepting of Mikey’s gender, or at least their name. 

 

“...Antoinette Iero?” He called out. The girl beside Mikey visibly tensed up, but shot her hand in the air. “It’s Frank, actually. And, I’m a guy. It’s supposed to be Anthony but someone somewhere fu--messed it up.”

 

“Frank, got it.” Mr. Armstrong said, nodding his head a little as he made a note on his roll sheet. Some of the other kids were turned around, looking at Frank, who was not a girl as Mikey had wrongly assumed. They needed to pay more attention when Gee went on rants about how gender identity and gender expression were two independent things, and how people needed to work on not assuming someone’s gender based on how that person looked.

 

Mikey’s heart was also beating rapidly because as far as they could tell, Frank was trans. Mikey wasn’t the only trans kid in their grade. Mikey could make friends with Frank, and start a trans gang or something. 

 

**geewhiz** : so i’m going to be crying in the bathroom for a while

**zoid** : what happened?????

**morethanafro** : do i need to Mom Friend

**geewhiz** : some assholes called me a tranny and shoved me against the lockers

**geewhiz** : it’s okay

**geewhiz** : at least no one’s called me the f slur yet

**zoid** : gee no that’s not okay

**morethanafro** : i’m bringing tissues and also stealing drinks from the vending machine.

**morethanafro** : which bathroom also do you want coke, dr pepper, mtn dew, or sprite?

**geewhiz** : math classroom bathrooms, coke

**geewhiz** : also can u bring tissues i don’t trust the ones in the bathroom

**geewhiz** : and i’m in the guy’s bathroom, back stall, door’s locked

**morethanafro** : will be there soon

 

Mikey glared at their phone, watching each notification light up. They couldn’t leave to go comfort their sibling, even though it was obvious that Gee needed all the love and support xe could get.

 

“Michelle Way?” Mr. Armstrong’s voice broke through Mikey’s thoughts. “Is there a Michelle Way here?”

 

“It’s, uh, it’s Mikey.” Mikey squeaked out, their face heating up. They tried to ignore how everyone looked their way when they spoke. Frank looked over at them, raising one perfectly styled eyebrow. Mikey sank into their seat as Mr. Armstrong nodded and made note of their name change. 

 

Mikey made it through first period, barely, and was ready to get the fuck out as soon as the bell rang. 

 

“Mikey, Frank, I’d like to talk to the two of you before you leave.” Mr. Armstrong said as everyone was packing up. Frank (who hadn’t done anything but look over at Mikey and narrow his eyes at them for the past hour) and Mikey exchanged vaguely concerned looks but gathered their things and went over to Mr. Armstrong’s desk. Mr. Armstrong waited until all the other students had left and then sat down on the edge of his desk. “You can correct me if I’m wrong, but judging from the names you requested, I’m going to assume you’re both transgender.”

 

“Yeah.” Frank said, and squared his shoulders. “Is there a problem with that?”

 

“Not at all.” Mr. Armstrong said. “I just wanted to ask what pronouns you two used, so I don’t misgender you in class on accident.”

 

Mikey blinked at their teacher for a moment. Frank frowned. “Wait, really? You’re not gonna send us to counseling or some shit--I mean… I didn’t mean to swear.”

 

“It’s okay, Frank. I’ve been teaching in public high schools probably since you were born. I’ve heard worse.” Mr. Armstrong said. Mikey decided that Mr. Armstrong was their favourite teacher. They didn’t care what other teachers they had. Mr. Armstrong was officially the best.

 

“Oh.” Frank looked uncomfortable. “Um, okay. I use he and him. I’m a trans guy. Like, one hundred percent man.”

 

Mr. Armstrong nodded and then turned to Mikey. “And what about you, Mikey Way? What pronouns do you use?”

 

“They and them.” Mikey said. “Can I go to class now?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Mr. Armstrong said. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t misgendering either of you. And, if you ever need to talk, and don’t want to talk to each other, I’m here for you. I know a little about what it was like to be different in high school.”

 

“Thanks.” Mikey said. They wondered what Mr. Armstrong meant, but they didn’t ask. They had the rest of the school year to figure it out, and right now they needed to find their next class. Mikey didn’t like algebra, but they knew their parents would be pissed if they skipped class for any reason. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	4. gay friends support group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank happens, ideas happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Petekey day, you fucks (I say in the nicest way possible). There's no Pete Wentz in this chapter, sorry, but there is Frank being a hardcore little punk, and that's what matters.

- **morethanafro** changed the name of the group to  **gay friends support group** -

 

**morethanafro** : mikey update ur sibling is ok

**mieky** : thanks for doing the friendship thing ray

**mieky** : also i think my history teacher is gonna be a cool dude

**geewhiz** : mikey do not fuck your teacher

**geewhiz** : i don’t care how hot they are

**geewhiz** : U R A CHILD

**geewhiz** : THEIR GENITALS ARE ILLEGAL

**geewhiz** : NO TOUCHEY

**mieky** : i’m not gonna fuck him oh my god 

**mieky** : but he did ask me what pronouns i used bc he didn’t want to misgender me

**zoid** : nice nice

**zoid** : also i need more lesbians

**zoid** : where r all the gay people in this town

**morethanafro** : we are the only gay people in this town

**mieky** : actually no the girl lindsey wanted me to fuck is actually a guy and he’s trans

**mieky** : idk if he’s gay but his name is frank and he’s in like three of my classes

**morethanafro** : it’s the gay people bond

**zoid** : befriend him mikey we need all the gay we can get

 

Mikey let out a sigh as they entered the cafeteria, lunch money in one hand and phone in the other. The cafeteria was larger than the middle school cafeteria, and there wasn’t assigned seating anymore. Mikey didn’t have lunch with any of their friends, because Gee and Ray were juniors and Lindsey was a senior. Mikey was the only underclassman and they were a little terrified.

 

They headed to the lunch line, and grabbed a tray, taking the sad excuse for food that was offered to them. They walked around the cafeteria for a few minutes, hoping someone somewhere would be friendly and offer them a seat. Mikey started to panic, and then they had to hold back tears because of the anxiety they were feeling. They wanted Gee. They also wanted to sit down so that they could eat their lunch and then get back to class.

 

Mikey spotted Frank’s button covered denim jacket before they actually spotted Frank. They walked over and then stood beside Frank, hoping that Frank would look up and take notice of them.

 

Frank looked up from his phone and removed an earbud. “Can I help you?”

 

“Can I sit here?” Mikey asked. Frank frowned, and then shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

 

“Thanks.” Mikey said, and quickly sat down across from Frank. They stared down at their food as they ate, ignoring how their heart was beating quickly and their hands were a little sweaty. Mikey hated their anxiety. It fucking sucked.

 

**mieky** : so i found frank

**zoid** : ask him if he’s gay

**geewhiz** : omg lindsey you can’t just ask people if they’re gay

**morethanafro** : gee did you just attempt to quote mean girls

**geewhiz** : yep. fight me ray toro

**morethanafro** : i can’t i’m in physics

**geewhiz** : ok and???

**geewhiz** : fight me anyway

**mieky** : g u’ve never fought anyone in ur life get some #chill please

**geewhiz** : i cannot i am the Drama Queen ™

 

Mikey let out a snort of laughter at that, and then immediately regretted it when they felt Frank staring them down from across the table. Mikey slowly looked up from their phone. “I wasn’t laughing at you, I promise.”

 

“I didn’t think you were.” Frank said. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to be friends or something?”

 

“I… don’t know.”

 

“Well, you’re doing a really shitty job at it.” Frank spat out. “You can’t just sit with someone at lunch and expect to be friends with them. That’s not how this shit works.”

 

“What do you expect me to do?” Mikey said. “I only have three other friends, and one of them is my older sibling.”

 

Frank took his other earbud out and wound his earbuds around his phone. “Who’re the other two?”

 

“Gee’s best friend since fourth grade, Lindsey, and Gee’s friend since summer bible school, Ray.” Mikey said. “Gee and I are kind of lame, honestly.”

 

“I’m not lame, but I do have anger management issues.” Frank said. He leaned forward, pushing his lunchbox and empty tupperware containers out of the way. “I used to go to Catholic school. I got kicked out for beating some fuckboy’s ass, and for being trans. I also almost got arrested once, for being in a fight. It scared the shit out of my mom.”

 

“I wonder why.” Mikey said. They bit at their fingernail. They really needed to stop doing that. “I’ve never been arrested, or almost arrested, but I do torrent and sell illegal Disney films. Not, like, a lot. But I made like fourty dollars over the summer.”

 

“I helped one of my friends get a tattoo when he was sixteen.” Frank said. He rolled up one sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a black star in the crook of his elbow. “And then he gave me this. My arm swelled up but I didn’t die from it. It’s real, if you wanna touch it. The one on my neck isn’t; I draw it on myself pretty much every morning. My mom hates it but I’m trying to get her used to it because I’m trying to save up to get it done for real.”

 

“But you’re like fourteen.” Mikey said. Frank rolled his sleeve down. “And? I’m probably going to die by, like, thirty because I’m trans, angry, and sick all the time. If I’m gonna die covered in tattoos I need to start getting them now.”

 

Mikey nodded, thinking that maybe Frank was right. They probably weren’t going to have a long life either, so doing shit they wanted to do was probably a good plan. 

 

Mikey bit their fingernail, ripping part of it off with their teeth. “Do you wanna meet my friends?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Frank shrugged. 

 

Mikey unlocked their phone. “What’s your kik? I’ll add you to the chat.”

 

- **mieky** has added  **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** to the group-

 

**mieky** : hey guys meet frank

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : hey i’m frank

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m gay as shit

**geewhiz** : wait like actually gay or gay like you’re not a het

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m bi

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : but i’m also trans so i’m gay x2

**zoid** : hi i’m a lesbian

**morethanafro** : hi lesbian i’m mom

**morethanafro** : i’m ray i’m also bi and i’m the mom friend even tho lindsey is the oldest

**mieky** : lindsey is the lesbian

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : nice. r u guys the only gays?

**geewhiz** : probably

**geewhiz** : we should start a club

**mieky** : don’t we need a teacher’s approval for something like that

**geewhiz** : tru

**zoid** : mikey fuck ur history teacher so he’ll sponsor gay club

**morethanafro** : mikey don’t fuck your history teacher but ask him to sponsor gay club

**geewhiz** : also make sure to call it a gsa so that closeted people don’t feel awk about having to out themselves to join

**mieky** : okay me n frank can ask him tomorrow

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i can make posters unless someone else is artistic

**geewhiz** : i am an artistic

**zoid** : same

**morethanafro** : the three of you are in charge of posters me and mikey will handle the actual club planning

**morethanafro** : mikey is vp i’m president of gay club i decided it

**geewhiz** : i wanted to be president

**morethanafro** : get the posters done and then we can fight it out

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **gay club official** -

 

**geewhiz** : thank u mikey

**geewhiz** : what would we do without u

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a kudos/comment if you liked it!
> 
> Also, my tumblr is pickledgerard if you wanna come talk to me about this fic or any of my others!


	5. Gal Pals™

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey is twitter famous and there are some gay shenanigans involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say, except maybe check out my tumblr? (pickledgerard) Thanks!

Mikey sat at their desk, not getting any homework done. Mr. Armstrong had agreed to sponsor the GSA, so long as the principal and assistant principals were okay with it. Apparently there was a gross bureaucracy in the high school system, and to make anything happen, it had to get approved by everyone. 

 

Mikey thought it was bullshit, but apparently their opinions didn’t matter. They were only thirteen, after all, and the youngest in their class because their birthday was two days before the school’s grade level cutoff. 

 

**mieky** : i am a bored

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i can send u videos of my dogs being dumb

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : would that help

**geewhiz** : please i love dogs

**mieky** : gee u love all animals

**geewhiz** : i am pananimalia

**geewhiz** : i love all animals

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : um

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : please tell me you don’t actually fuck animals

**mieky** : no don’t worry xe’s just a furry

**geewhiz** : i am not

 

- **zoid** changed the name of the group to  **#stopfurries2k16** -

 

**geewhiz** : i see u lurking there lindsey

**zoid** : shh no i’m not here carry on

**geewhiz** : go work on your senior art project

**zoid** : i cannot

**zoid** : u have my paints

**geewhiz** : oh shit i do

**geewhiz** : i can bring them over hold on

 

A few seconds later, Mikey heard Gee’s footsteps coming up the stairs, and then xe was in Mikey’s room, ducking under Mikey’s bed to get Lindsey her paint back. Mikey turned around in their chair to watch Gee, and folded their arms across their chest, ignoring their boobs. “So, are you going to finally ask her out?”

 

“Mikey, I can’t.” Gee said, grabbing the last tube of paint. Mikey raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

 

“Um, because she’s a lesbian and I’m not a girl.” Gee said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mikey made a face at xem. “You’re not a boy, either. Just try it.”

 

“If it fucks up our friendship I’m blaming you.” Gee said, pointing a finger at Mikey. Mikey shrugged and accepted it. Gee and Lindsey had been fake flirting with each other for months, and Mikey figured that Gee had mentioned xer gender shit to Lindsey and Ray before xe came out officially. 

 

**morethanafro** : why is the name of the groupchat #stopfurries2k16

**geewhiz** : because lindsey is a horrible person and i’m divorcing her

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait are you two actually dating?

**zoid** : we are Gal Pals ™

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : someone not involved with the lesbian clusterfuck, please tell me what’s going on

**mieky** : they are the Gal Pals ™

 

- **morethanafro** changed the name of the group to  **Gal Pals** **™** -

 

**geewhiz** : thank you ray for fixing this mess of a group chat

**morethanafro** : you created it in the first place gee

**morethanafro** : technically this is all your fault

**zoid** : wait gee aren’t you bringing me paint???? get off ur phone and get your nice ass over here i gotta art

**geewhiz** : i am coming my love

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : haha

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : /coming/

**geewhiz** : mikey i’m blocking your friend

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wow rude i haven’t even met you irl yet

**geewhiz** : i don’t care you are Blocked ™

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m reporting you for being a little bitch

**morethanafro** : don’t call gee a bitch or i will bitch you

**geewhiz** : what does that even mean

**morethanafro** : idk but i’m gonna fuck u up franklin

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : that’s not my name it’s literally just frank

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : frankie if we’re dating

**zoid** : was that a scooby doo reference

**mieky** : lindsey how do you know this

**zoid** : i’m secretly god

**mieky** : oh no

**mieky** : we’re all screwed

**morethanafro** : lindsey i don’t trust you as a god

**zoid** : hahahaha

**zoid** : i promise to be nice to you guys you are all my friends

**morethanafro** : thank you lindsey

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait even me

**zoid** : yeah sure

**zoid** : just don’t make me regret it

**mieky** : yeah she knows witch craft

**morethanafro** : lindsey can Fuck You Up

**zoid** : and i will

**zoid** : oh gee just got here hold on friends i gotta go get my art back

 

- **mieky** created the group  **it’s getting gay in here** -

 

- **mieky** added  **morethanafro** and  **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** to  **it’s getting gay in here** -

 

**fnrkiero_andthe_dogs** : is this your way of initiating an orgy

**morethanafro** : oedipus complex

**mieky** : frank ray no we are not having sex

**mieky** : this is about gee and lindsey

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : so gee’s going to lindsey’s house to bang her

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : is paint some weird euphemism now

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i am so confused

**morethanafro** : lindsey and gee aren’t dating. mikey what’s going on

**mieky** : gee’s about to ask lindsey out

**mieky** : xe’s finally gonna do it

**morethanafro** : yes good

**mieky** : frank you don’t understand we have been third and fourth wheeling for years

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i am… so sorry

 

Mikey put down their phone to let Frank and Ray talk it out, because they had homework and unlike Frank, they actually did their homework. Frank said that school wasn’t really his thing, and that if it wasn’t for band class he probably wouldn’t be there at all. Mikey could understand that, because Mikey didn’t like school either, but at the moment, their only other alternative was to stay at home. They didn’t want to be at home unless they absolutely had to. 

 

Mikey frowned, and let out a sigh. They hadn’t updated their twitter recently, and knew they needed to. Ray was right, they were twitter famous, and even though they didn’t care much for the fame, there were people out there who genuinely enjoyed Mikey’s tweets. 

 

Mikey scrolled through their camera roll, hoping for some kind of inspiration. They found a picture of Gee and Lindsey, the two of them looking at each other with what Mikey had heard the internet refer to as heart eyes. They shrugged, and started editing the picture to make it look dumb and romantic. They’d add a cheesy caption on later, and then wait until they got one specific retweet.

 

The girl (and this time, Mikey knew she was a girl because she said so in her bio) was @pwheezie and she did lyric edits. Sometimes they were her own lyrics, and those were Mikey’s favourite because she was the most emo, over-dramatic person ever, but she was really poetic about it. Mikey had a tiny internet crush on her, even though he didn’t know anything about her other than she had a great sense of humour and apparently had bright pink hair. Gee said that @pwheezie was becoming Mikey’s pixie dream girl and that Mikey needed to stop idealising her. Mikey said it didn’t matter, because it wasn’t as though they knew each other in real life. 

 

Mikey’s phone buzzed, and they looked down to see who it was. It wasn’t @pwheezie

 

-private message from  **geewhiz** -

 

**geewhiz** : i’m probably not coming home tonight 

**geewhiz** : tell mom or whoever i’m spending the night at ray’s

**mieky** : wait why

**geewhiz** : mikey i know ur 12 but think about it for a moment

**mieky** : oh

**mieky** : oh!

**mieky** : g oh my god

**mieky** : please use protection please

**geewhiz** : ohmygod calm urself we’re driving out to buy some rn

**mieky** : ...i didn’t need to know the details but uh

**mieky** : congrats?

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **Gal Pals** **™** **success** -

 

**morethanafro** : u do realise this is the main right?

**mieky** : i know

**mieky** : by the way if anyone asks gee spent the night at ur house tonight

**morethanafro** : but xe’s with lindsey

**morethanafro** : oh wait never mind

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : should i congratulate the lesbians (?) tomorrow 

**mieky** : if u wanna

**geewhiz** : u can congrat us now i’m getting these notifications

**geewhiz** : how much did u tell them mikey

**mieky** : all

**geewhiz** : lindsey says to tell you that she has a strap on

**geewhiz** : she’s not wearing it right now (duh) but she has it

**mieky** : ew gross tell ur girlfriend i don’t need to know

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : one week into a new friend group and already i know too much it is time to move again

**morethanafro** : frank no don’t leave us we need u

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : fine i’ll stay

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : my mom just came in apparently there’s a mass thing tonight i gotta go pretend to be a good religious catholic boy

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : have fun sinning without me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	6. Gal Pals™ success

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey gets involved in drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the chapter titles are supposed to be whatever the group chat gets changed to, but then I didn't change it at all this chapter. The title has nothing to do with what happens this chapter.
> 
> Dallon and Brendon get introduced, though, and neither of them are cis.

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait mikey if u aren’t in band what’s your art class

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : because i’ve seen your drawings and i can tell why gee does all the art for ur family

**mieky** : first of all #rude

**mieky** : second i have drama???

**mieky** : idk why i think it’s because i forgot to sign up for an art

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : how tf do you forget to sign up for an art class????

**morethanafro** : i’m life shaming u mikey

**morethanafro** : also you should switch to band

**morethanafro** : band is the best

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : all hail band kids!!!!!

**zoid** : fuck band take art

**zoid** : who cares if u suck just call it abstract

**mieky** : or i can do drama and hope for the best

 

Mikey locked their phone and put it in their pocket. They were already in the drama room, sitting in the very back and hoping they didn’t get drafted into being in some musical. Mikey liked music, and all the shit that went into acting and movies, but they didn’t want to be in a musical. They had too much anxiety to handle that.

 

Gee would like drama, if xe wasn’t such a control freak about how things went. Xe would have to have the lead role in everything. That would probably get boring after a while, even with all of Gee’s creativity.

 

It was the first official day of drama class. Now that school was fully in swing, and everyone had gotten their schedules figured out, people were getting into the non-academic parts of high school. Mikey was just glad that they didn’t have to take gym until second semester. They weren’t looking forward to that, because of the whole agender thing. They felt more masculine than feminine, kind of, but they didn’t want to go in the guy’s locker room. 

 

They were about to pull their their phone out to complain about gym class and the gender binary on twitter when the door to the drama room slammed open loudly.

 

“I don’t  _ care _ what you think, Dallon! I dumped Ryan because I didn’t want a long distance relationship, not because I was trying to get in Spencer’s pants!” A voice called out, embarrassingly loudly. Mikey was embarrassed for whoever said all of that to a room full of people their age. They scooted down in their chair so that they could barely see above the empty seat in front of them, and watched.

 

“Bren, please shut up.” A very tall boy wearing suspenders said. His hair was pinned back with some bobby pins, but a single strand had fallen out and was in his face. “Can we not do this in front of everyone.”

 

“Oh, so  _ now  _ you want to keep it private.” The other person, Bren, presumably, placed their hands on their hips. They had a very prominent ass and Mikey honestly could not tell their gender from the back row. They were about the same height as the first guy, but that was because they were wearing a ridiculously high pair of heels. 

 

Mikey opened up their phone. The group chat would find this interesting.

 

**mieky** : person of unidentifiable gender and tall af dude in suspenders having a domestic feud in drama

**mieky** : i have not even been here for 5 minutes

**mieky** : how is band/art better again? because i have enough material for about three weeks of tweets rn

**zoid** : wait is suspenders man named dallon

**mieky** : do u want me to ask? because i won’t

**zoid** : no i think i know him

**zoid** : and if he is then gender ambiguous is brendon urie and the two of them have a not thing thing going on

**zoid** : also ryan ross was involved?? but then he moved

**zoid** : idk where

**geewhiz** : how do u know this

**zoid** : i’m god remember

 

“That’s not what you were saying the other day on Facebook.” Bren said. “And who even uses Facebook to complain about their friend’s exes, anyway? I swear, you are such a grandmother sometimes, I don’t know why I ever fucked you.”

 

“You didn’t fuck me, I fucked you.” Tall suspenders boy said. Bren leaned back, in a really dramatic, over-offended way, and let out a gasp. “Excuse you?”

 

“Oh my God, can we please just sit down and not talk about it?” He said. He looked embarrassed, probably more embarrassed than Mikey. “Just because we're  _ in _ drama class doesn't mean we need to  _ act  _ like it.”

 

“Fine. But see if I come to your house after school.” Bren said, and then turned on their heel (without falling, Mikey was impressed) and stalked over to another boy sitting in the second row. Tall suspenders guy stood in front of the class and then escaped up the side aisle to sit in the back, two seats from Mikey. Mikey could see that he was embarrassed, and felt bad for him. Public embarrassment was the worst. 

 

Mikey pulled out their notebook and ripped out a piece of paper. 

 

_ Sorry you just got dragged in front of a bunch of people you don't know. You probably also don't know me (I'm new here) so idk why I'm writing this. Anyway hi I'm Mikey and I'm really bad at social stuff.  _

 

Mikey then folded the paper and flicked it over to tall suspenders guy. He picked it up, opened it, and after a minute, started writing back. 

 

_ Thanks. Me and Bren are kinda complicated. I'm just mad that they had to drag everyone into it.  _

_ I'm Dallon by the way (they/them or he/him pls) _

 

Mikey smiled when they read the note. It was incredible, the number of trans people they were finding completely on accident. They really hoped that the GSA went through, because they wanted an official place for them and all the other trans and gay people to hang out. 

 

_ I didn't realise you used non binary pronouns. I use they/them, actually. And I'm guessing Bren does too? You used they with Bren.  _

 

Mikey passed the note back. They didn't get a response, because the drama teacher came in and started explaining what the class would be doing. Apparently they were putting on  _ Anything Goes _ for the end of spring semester, and fall semester would be a time for learning the skills needed for acting, as well as learning about the different characters in the play. 

 

Dallon slipped a note back with a frown on their face. 

 

_ Bren’s gonna try out for Reno, I bet you money. You need to beat them. I don't want to have to deal with them in the lead role again because they're really self absorbed.  _

_ Also Bren uses any pronouns but right now they're using they/them.  _

 

Mikey opened their phone to look up who this Reno person was, but as soon as they opened Safari, the drama teacher was standing beside them, tapping her foot. “Miss Way, please hand your phone over.”

 

“I was just looking up a character in the play.” Mikey squeaked out, hating that their voice got higher when they were nervous. The drama teacher raised a perfectly styled eyebrow (Frank and Gee would be jealous) at them. “Oh? And which character are you interested in? Remember to speak up. This is drama class.”

 

“Reno.” Mikey said. “I don't know if I want to play her” (Mikey figured that there was a gender binary in  _ Anything Goes _ and that Reno was probably a girl) “but Dallon mentioned her earlier and I just thought she'd be interesting. I'm sorry.”

 

“It's perfectly understandable to be curious about the craft, but I'm going to have to ask you to do your research on your own time.” She smiled down at Mikey and held out her hand. “Your phone, please. I promise to give it back at the end of class.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	7. welcome to gay town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank is an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short, the chapters are going to start getting longer once the GSA is established and everyone meets outside of the group chat.

**geewhiz** : mikey where the fuck have u been

**geewhiz** : u missed an important thing

**mieky** : i got my phone taken up during drama what happened

**mieky** : did someone die

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : no

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : but mr. armstrong told me that gay club is a go

**mieky** : fucking sick 

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **welcome to gay town** -

 

**morethanafro** : i see mikey heard the news

**mieky** : yep

**mieky** : yo ray since ur pres and im vp we need to choose a meeting time

**morethanafro** : wednesday is the only day im not free and that's because of church things

**mieky** : i know me and g go to ur church

**morethanafro** : shhhhh let me live

**mieky** : no

**zoid** : what about tuesday i don't think anyone has stuff on tuesday 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i have tutoring on tuesday what about monday 

**morethanafro** : i’m good with monday 

**mieky** : g? lindsey?

**zoid** : ok w me

**geewhiz** : same as my gf

**zoid** : u nerd

**geewhiz** : <3

**mieky** : u two are gross don't invite me to the wedding 

**geewhiz** : wasn't planning to

**mieky** : i am Offended™

**zoid** : g pls invite ur own sibling to our wedding

**zoid** : i will if u don't 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait am i invited

**morethanafro** : yes

**zoid** : ray u aren't in the wedding u don't get to decide that

**morethanafro** : i am the mother of the brides i get to decide All The Things

 

Mikey let out a laugh at that, getting an eyebrow raise from the girl next to them. Mikey ignored her, because they didn't know who she was and didn't particularly care to. This was algebra. People's opinions didn't matter in algebra. 

 

They weren't paying attention, and they knew it. This was one of the three classes they had with Frank (the other being Spanish), but their algebra teacher had assigned seating in alphabetical order. Frank was right in the middle and Mikey was off in the back left corner. They liked having a last name near the end of the alphabet, because then they could get away with texting in class for the most part. They also didn't get called on as often. 

 

“Antoinette, would you mind coming up to the board to do the next question?” The teacher asked. He had a dark grey mustache, and military like hair. Mikey decided he didn't like him the moment he refused to call anyone anything other than their given name. Frank also didn't like him, but was more obvious about it. 

 

Frank leaned back in his seat. “I would mind, actually, because I still don't know what we're supposed to be learning right now.”

 

The math teacher, Mr. James, purses his lips. Frank still didn't get up. Mikey closed their eyes for a moment, praying and hoping that Frank wouldn't do anything stupid and get himself in trouble. They didn't want Frank to have to miss his first GSA meeting just because he couldn't stop being a little shit for three seconds. 

 

“Well, why don't you come up here and do what you can, and we'll work it out with you when you get stuck?” Mr. James offered. Frank shrugged. “Can I just choose someone to help me?”

 

_ Nonononononono _ Mikey thought, because they knew where this was going and they didn't like it. They pulled out their phone. 

 

**mieky** : frank i swear to god if u call me to assist you i will remove ur balls

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : good thing i don't have balls

 

“Who would you like to volunteer, Antoinette?”

 

“Mikey.” Frank said, because Frank was an ass but he wouldn't dead name Mikey in any situation unless it was absolutely necessary. Mr. James nodded and turned to where Mikey was slowly becoming one with their chair. “Michelle. You understand what’s on the board, I presume?”

 

Mikey nodded, and slowly sunk out of their seat. They walked to the board, glasses low on the bridge of their nose, and tried to look as small as possible. It was hard, considering that they were already five eight and Frank was about five four. Frank grinned at them when they finally got to the board, and Mikey had to bite their tongue to keep from swearing in front of the entire class. 

 

“Alright, girls, make sure to explain as you go so that everyone else can follow along on their own papers.” Mr. James said. Mikey glared at Frank. They didn't hate them entirely, just in that one moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	8. @pwheezie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nerves set in. Also, Mikey has a crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sorry that this is such a slow burn but I'm kind of prioritising the character development over the ships getting together. They will all get together, though, don't worry. I tag everything.

Mikey woke up on Monday feeling more nervous than usual. They picked their phone up off of their nightstand and turned it on, scrolling through their notifications. A lot from twitter, a snap from Dallon (the two had exchanged snapchats while in drama on Friday and had been snapping about the Bren drama for the past few days), and a bunch of notifications from the group chat. Mikey opened up twitter first.

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ starting a gsa at my school sounded like a gr8 idea but now that i’ve gotta do it… #nope _

 

They posted it and then checked snapchat, to see that Dallon had sent them a snap of himself and Spencer (Bren’s friend) in bed, with Spencer’s head on Dallon’s chest and Dallon making a confused face. The caption was just  _????????? _

 

Mikey snapped back with the shrug emoji. They didn’t know what else to do. 

 

**mieky** : anyone else as nervous as me

**mieky** : because i’m super close to throwing up from the Anxiety ™

**morethanafro** : mikey my pal u have no idea

**morethanafro** : i told my mom i needed her to drive me in because i was nervous

**mieky** : wait ur mom knows about gay club????

**morethanafro** : nah she thinks i’ve got an important test today and then philosophy club after school

**morethanafro** : i mean i know she’s cool with the gay shit because i’m out to her and everything but i don’t want her to be worried… and if she knew i was in a gay club at school she’d be Super Worried

**morethanafro** : i think she only believed the philosophy thing bc i said gee was in it with me

**geewhiz** : can u guys wait until not ass o’clock to start texting i just woke up 

**mieky** : gee i’ve been up for like 20 minutes i already updated twitter

**geewhiz** : Good For You

**geewhiz** : mikey we gotta do laundry

**mieky** : we can’t do that now we have to leave in like 35 minutes g get ur shit together

**geewhiz** : yeah but when we get home

**geewhiz** : i have none clothes with left sadness

**morethanafro** : sucks

**morethanafro** : wait how do u not have clothes you have so many

**geewhiz** : i wore them all.

**morethanafro** : wow u guys really do need to do laundry

**zoid** : hey guys i forgot to check my phone this morning but i just got on the bus what’s up

**morethanafro** : freaking out about gsa today

**zoid** : oh shit that’s a thing

**zoid** : time to Die ™

**mieky** : maybe no one else will show up and it’ll just be us???

**zoid** : i’m okay with that

**zoid** : tbh i really wanted this to find more lesbians but i have a gf now so i can wait on the other lesbians

**geewhiz** : <33333

**mieky** : gee that looks like ice cream butts

**geewhiz** : fuck u mikey

**geewhiz** : go complain on twitter also have you seen my mascara

**mieky** : no??

**mieky** : did u lose it

**geewhiz** : …. what the fuck do you think

**zoid** : i have some if u want i’ll meet you outside the school where the buses let off

**geewhiz** : literally ur my fave person

**zoid** : i know

**morethanafro** : wow gee it’s not like i’m your literal mother or anything

**mieky** : yeah g i’m #offended

**geewhiz** : i don’t #care

**mieky** : u did it wrong

**geewhiz** : eat a sock mikey

 

Mikey laughed, and then panicked because they still hadn’t gotten out of bed and it was ten minutes before they needed to leave with Gee in order to get to school on time and change outfits quickly enough. 

 

**mieky** : shit gee i need a clothes to wear

**geewhiz** : i trust u i’m gonna just put on a hoodie and jeans r u okay with that

**mieky** : i literally don’t care

**mieky** : but we gotta leave like rn

**geewhiz** : shiiiiiit

**morethanafro** : i love that you guys have personal conversations in the group chat

**zoid** : i feel like i’m watching a very boring sitcom

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : oh my god you guys really do never shut up

**zoid** : morning frank

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : so i convinced my mom to let me actually /go/ to gay club

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : she thinks it’s tutoring tho so mikey can you help me with math while we gay i need to convince her i’m actually getting shit done

**mieky** : maybe you should try Paying Attention

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i cannot

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : that man makes me so angry

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m gonna fight him

**morethanafro** : do not fight the math teacher

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : he calls me and mikey by our deadnames

**zoid** : fight the math teacher

 

“Mikey, come on! We need to go!” Gee called up the stairs. Mikey swore under their breath and dropped their phone, searching their room for clothes that they could wear and Gee could change into once they got to school. They settled on a plaid dress that was really baggy on them, and their boots. Converse would take too long to put on, and Gee was waiting on them. Gee was never the first one to get dressed. Xe spent too much time on makeup, and xer parents hated it. 

 

Mikey grabbed their phone and their backpack and then ran down the stairs, adjusting the strap on their sports bra. It was the same one they had worn to bed, but they didn’t care. Lindsey wore the same bra for days on end and no one questioned her. Mikey’d be fine. 

 

Their phone buzzed in their hand while Gee was driving, and they opened it up to see that they got the only twitter notification that mattered.

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ responded to your tweet: _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : sending you good vibes for the gsa (i’m probably going to come out 2 my friends today so gay power!!) _

 

Mikey’s heart skipped a beat, and quickly typed out a reply. @pwheezie had retweeted Mikey’s tweets before, but she’d never gone out of her way to respond to them and Mikey was feeling a little bit more than a tiny internet crush right then. 

 

**_@pwheezie_ ** _ : thanks and good luck to u too! (i hope ur friends r nice & if not i’ll kick their asses) _

 

“Who’re you texting?” Gee asked. “Or is that twitter? Also, can you skip this track, I think I accidentally put on the parental approved driving playlist.”

 

“It’s twitter, and sure.” Mikey said, and skipped to the next track on Gee’s playlist. They kept checking their phone for a response, but they never got one. Maybe they weren’t interesting enough for @pwheezie to start a real conversation with them. They were twitter famous, sure, but @pwheezie had an aesthetic to keep up, and Mikey wasn’t going to stop her from keeping her aesthetic in order just because they had a crush on her. 

 

They weren’t that selfish.

  
Gee parked in the back again, and xe changed clothes with Mikey. Since Mikey’s homeroom was in the back of the school building, Gee told Mikey to head on in, and that xe’d go in when xe finished xer makeup. Mikey grabbed their earbuds from their backpack and let the sounds of the Misfits drown out the early morning noises of high school. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it, and if you want to talk nohic (or the marching band au) with me, I'm on tumblr as pickledgerard!


	9. NONW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexuality crises and high anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's the next chapter, please enjoy!

Mikey’s first two periods were a blur, because they were too busy thinking about the fast approaching GSA meeting. 

 

They got to drama early again, because they walked fast when they walked alone, and grabbed their usual seat in the back. Dallon came in a few seconds later, which was a surprise because usually Dallon (and Bren and Spencer) came in right as the bell rang. Mikey had no idea what the three of them were doing, even though they were snapping frequently with Dallon. 

 

“Hey Mikey.” Dallon said, dropping into the seat on Mikey’s left. Mikey raised an eyebrow at him. “You look tired.”

 

“Apparently Bren now thinks I’m cheating on her with you, and she’s calling me disgusting because you’re a freshman and I’m a junior.” Dallon said. He rolled his eyes. “I tried telling her that we’re friends and nothing more, and that we just bonded over the trans thing, but she saw how much I was snapchatting with you and assumed the worst.”

 

“That sucks.” Mikey said, making a mental note to start referring to Bren with she/her pronouns, since that was what Dallon was using and Dallon probably knew her best. “But, why me and not Spencer? You sent me a snap of the two of you together at two in the morning.”

 

“We didn’t actually do anything.” Dallon said. “Spencer’s… he’s trying to figure out his sexuality and he came to me and ended up staying the night.”

 

“Oh.” Mikey said, and then, because apparently they were impulsive when emotionally conflicted, added, “you know, me and my friends are starting a GSA. We’d be talking about gender and sexuality and all that shit. If Spencer wanted to come, he could.”

 

Dallon looked interesting. “Really? When is it?”

 

“Uh, today, actually.” Mikey said. Dallon looked more interested. “I’ll text him, see if he’s interested. You’ll be there, right?”

 

“Yeah.” Mikey said, “of course.”

 

The two had to stop talking then, because the drama teacher came in and started discussing some weird drama technique that Mikey didn’t know about (or care to know about). They spent most of the period doodling on the corner of their notebook because they were too afraid to take their phone out again. Dallon sat beside them, completely entranced with what the drama teacher was saying. It was a little weird to watch, but entertaining whenever the teacher ignored Dallon to call on Bren. 

 

Mikey was beginning to think that Bren was the teacher’s pet, at least in drama class. She seemed to know a lot about acting, so Mikey could understand why the teacher called on her all the time. Still, they were really glad when class finished and they got to leave. 

 

“Oh, hey, Mikey.” Dallon called out as Mikey was heading towards the door. Mikey paused and let Dallon catch up. Dallon had his phone out and handed it over to Mikey. “Can you put your number in so I can text you if me and Spencer are going to come?”

 

“Um, my phone doesn’t actually do texting.” Mikey said. “My parents are weirdly restrictive, and so they won’t let me have a phone-phone until I can drive. But this has internet and kik and stuff. I can give you my kik?”

 

“I’m Mormon so I don’t actually have a kik.” Dallon said. “But… I guess you could give me your kik and I could download it and… kik you?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Mikey said, and opened up Dallon’s notes, typing in their kik. They handed the phone back to Dallon and headed to their next class. 

 

The rest of the day went by quickly, and Mikey was surprised to find themselves in their seventh period English class, not having to pay attention to whoever was reading today’s section of Shakespeare because they’d already read the entire thing and had Ray’s notes from two years ago to help when they needed to do analysis. Mikey had their book positioned so that they could be on their phone, and once again, they were in the back row. 

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : is it bad that i want us to be the only ones there

**geewhiz** : not really 

**geewhiz** : i mean i want to be welcoming to all the lgbt people here but at the same time what if some asshole uses it to find out who we are and then outs us

**frnkiero_andthedogs** : i don’t think that mr armstrong would let that happens he gives off a punk rock vibe

**mieky** : frank. are /u/ fucking the teacher

**frnkiero_andthe_dog** s: oh my god mikey nO

**mieky** : i see ur learning proper text language

**mieky** : also it’s okay if u fuck mr armstrong honestly he’s a 10/10

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : he is our TEACHER and we are CHILDREN

**geewhiz** : since ray is not on (apparently) i’m gonna be mom friend and tell u both: NO TEACHER FUCKING

**geewhiz** : NONW

**geewhiz** : *NONE

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **NONW** -

 

**geewhiz** : mikey i hate u go update twitter

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait mikey what’s ur twitter

**mieky** : not sharing >P

**geewhiz** : it’s @mikey_wavy

**mieky** : fuk u

**geewhiz** : that is called Incest and it is Frowned Upon ™

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : cool i’m gonna go follow u now

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait gee do u have a twitter????

**geewhiz** : yeah it’s @partypoisoned

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : that’s a weird name

**geewhiz** : yeah it’s for a character i made up

**geewhiz** : i’d rather not go into it

 

Mikey frowned. They’d only heard about Gee’s Party Poison character, who xe’d had since xe was about twelve years old and had just discovered fanfiction and comics and all the wonders of the internet. Party Poison was definitely a self-insert, but Gee had never clarified which universe xe was self-inserting Party Poison into. 

 

-private message from  **Dallon Weekes** -

 

**Dallon Weekes** : Hey.

**mieky** : i see u got the kik

**mieky** : so r u and spencer coming?????

**Dallon Weekes** : Yes, we’re coming. What room is the meeting going to be in?

**mieky** : 151; mr. armstrong is the teacher sponsoring us

**mieky** : also u don’t need to use ur actual name here if u have a nickname u can use that

**Dallon Weekes** : How are you going to know who I am if I’m under a different name?

**mieky** : look buddy excluding u i have 4 other friends in my kik contacts

**mieky** : the chances of u choosing the same name as any of them is like non existant

**Dallon Weekes** : Okay. One moment.

 

- **Dallon Weekes** changed their name to  **dadtree** -

 

**mieky** : better

**mieky** : also my friends are probably gonna force you into the group chat so be ready for a lot of Gay ™

**dadtree** : Why did you use the trademark sign? Also, I’m friends (supposedly) with Bren. I’m used to a lot of gay. 

**mieky** : it’s a meme… kind of…

**dadtree** : Oh, okay. Sorry, I’m not really on social media. It’s the whole Mormon thing. 

**mieky** : nah it’s cool

 

Mikey heard the telltale ruffling of papers being shoved into backpacks, and realised that there were only a few minutes before the bell rang. They locked their phone and put it in their pocket, and then packed up, pulling their earbuds out. It wouldn’t be long now until they got to go to a real live GSA. They’d only heard of GSA’s in movies, and they were a little nervous.

  
The bell rang and Mikey dropped their phone. Maybe they were a lot nervous. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave kudos/a comment if you enjoyed!


	10. The GSA Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly as the title says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I'm doing a bandom mini bang via tumblr, which means I'll be focusing on that fic for the next month or so and not so much on this and the marching band au. This fic will still be updating on a semi weekly basis, because I'm a few chapters ahead, but the mbau might not get many updates until September.
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you all like it!

“Hey Mikey.” Gee said. Xe was sitting on one of the desks near the front of the classroom, and Mr. Armstrong was at his desk, looking at some papers. He looked up when Mikey came in. “Glad to see you remembered.”

 

“Yeah.” Mikey said, and set their backpack down beside Gee. “This is my sibling, Gee. I don’t know if xe introduced xemself yet.”

 

“Xe did.” Mr. Armstrong said, setting down the papers that Mikey recognised as the quiz they had taken the previous day. Mikey smiled to themselves; at least they weren’t the only one who procrastinated on their work. They crossed over to sit next to Gee, and Mr. Armstrong sat back in his chair. “Just so you two know, I’m not just an overly friendly ally. I’m bisexual, and even though I’m married to a woman, that doesn’t mean I’m any less valid.”

 

Gee’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow. I didn’t know there were any LGBT teachers here!”

 

“Now you know,” Mr. Armstrong said. “Just don’t make a big deal about it. You wouldn’t out me if I was one of your friends, so don’t out me just because you’re excited to have a not straight teacher.”

 

“Can we tell other people in the GSA?” Mikey asked. Mr. Armstrong shook his head. “I’d prefer if you didn’t. The staff here don’t know about my sexuality, and I’d rather not risk losing my job. I trust the two of you, however.”

 

And that was the end of that conversation, because Frank walked through the door then, holding a saxophone case and a guitar case. His backpack was falling off of his shoulders, and he was still wearing about six layers of clothing. He jerked his chin up in greeting, and then carefully dropped his things in the nearest chair. It was the first time Mikey had ever seen Frank willingly sit near the front of a classroom. Mikey figured that this was different, since it was a gay thing, and Frank probably cared about this class more than he did his others. 

 

“Hey Mikey, Mr. Armstrong.” Frank said. He didn’t take off any jackets. He looked past Mikey, to where Gee was sitting, xer posture as horrible as always. His eyes widened slightly. “Oh, you’re Gee, right? You look kinda like Mikey.”

 

“Thanks, most people say we don’t look alike at all.” Gee said. “But yeah, I’m their older sibling.”

 

“Your eyeliner is really nice.” Frank said. Mikey raised an eyebrow and leaned back so they could see Gee’s reaction. Gee stared at Frank for about three seconds before blurting out, “thanks but I already have a girlfriend.”

 

“What?” Frank said. Gee buried their face in their hands. “Oh my God I’m an embarrassment. You already knew that, you’re in the fucking group chat.”

 

“Gee, language.” Mikey said, not because they cared but because Mr. Armstrong was  _ right there _ . He shrugged, though. “I don’t care about language outside of class.”

 

“Oh, can I say fuck then?” Frank looked way too excited. Mr. Armstrong nodded. Frank fist-pumped the air and let out a triumphant fuck yeah. At that exact moment, four other kids walked in. They all gave Frank a weird look. The one in the front had bright pink hair, and was wearing what looked like a homemade sweatshirt with a weird looking bat sewn on the front of it. The other three consisted of a chubby kid in a baseball cap that said “I heart Bingo,” one with bleached blonde hair who looked bored, and one with long reddish hair and glasses. The glasses kid also had some intense arm muscles going on. They were an odd looking group. 

 

Pink haired kid looked straight at Mikey and asked, “Hey, is this the GSA thing?”

 

“Yep. We’ll be starting in about ten minutes, if you four want to grab some seats.” Mr. Armstrong said. 

 

Ray and Lindsey came in a little after that, and introduced themselves to Frank. Frank apologised to Lindsey for accidentally flirting with her date person, and Gee smacked Frank on the arm before telling him to fuck off. Lindsey just raised an eyebrow and didn’t ask. Mikey figured she’d text them about it later. 

 

Spencer came in while everyone was gathering desks to make a semblance of a circle and stood nervously in the doorway until Mr. Armstrong took notice of him. “Are you here for the GSA meeting?”

 

“Um, I think?” Spencer said. “Is Dallon here?”

 

“Dallon said he’d be here.” Mikey said, not sure if Spencer heard them or not. “I’m Mikey, I sit next to Dallon in drama?”

 

“Oh, yeah, they talked about you.” Spencer said, and immediately gravitated over to sit next to Mikey. Mikey made a mental note to start referring to Dallon with they/them pronouns, and wondered why Dallon hadn’t bothered to correct Mikey when they’d referred to Dallon with he/him in previous conversations. 

 

Once everyone had a desk (and most people were just sitting on their desks), Mr. Armstrong crossed his feet at the ankles and said, “Welcome to the first ever GSA meeting. Officially, I’m the sponsor and I should be in control of what you guys do, but so long as it’s not too illegal, I trust you all to make the decisions. I’m also not going to control what topics we discuss here, and instead let one of the self-appointed presidents direct the flow of conversation. Mikey, Ray, if one of you want to start the meeting?”

 

Mikey looked at Ray, who nodded. Mikey loved Ray. Ray would save them from any social situation, and was therefore Mikey’s best friend.

 

Ray waved to the handful of kids. “Hi, I’m Ray. I’m one of the leaders here, but I’m more of a mom friend than a leader. Um, I guess we’ll start with introductions and pronouns. If you don’t want to say something, you can just pass. I don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable.

 

“I’m Ray, I’m bisexual, and right now I’m using he/him/his pronouns, but I’m starting to question my gender so that might change.” Ray said. He turned to Frank, who was on his left. Frank coughed and then spoke, looking more nervous than he did when he spoke up in class (which he did often). “Frank, I’m bisexual too, and I use he/him. Because I’m a guy and I’ll fight you if you misgender me.”

 

“I’m Joe, I’m pretty gay, and I’m cool with they or he or whatever. Gender’s not really high on my priority list, you know?” (Blonde, bored looking guy)

 

“Pete. I use whatever pronouns but right now I’ve got a preference for she/her. I’m super trans, and I don’t know what my sexuality is but it’s probably not straight.” (The one with pink hair, who smiled really big when she talked)

 

“Um, I’m Patrick, and actually Andy,” The one in the Bingo hat (Patrick) motioned to the red-haired person beside them, “is probably the most trans of the four of us. I’m into guys and masculine people, and I guess I use he/him? I’ve never really thought about gender and stuff before.”

 

“I’m Andy, I’m aroace, and I use he/him. I can probably bench most of you.” (Red hair and glasses)

 

“I’m Mr. Armstrong, but you can all call me Billie Joe while we’re here. I use he/him pronouns.” Mr. Armstrong said, purposely not stating his sexuality. Mikey was okay with that. They’d seen what coming out too early could do to someone. Gee and them were lucky that they hadn’t been kicked out of their house because of their gender and sexuality. 

 

“I’m Spencer, and I use he and him. I don’t know what my sexuality is, and my friend Dallon suggested I join this.” Spencer said. “So, hi.”

 

“I’m Mikey, I’m the other president, I use they/them, and I mostly like girls.”

 

“I’m Gee. I’m Mikey’s older sibling and I use xe/xem/xer. I’m pansexual and dating Lindsey.” Gee said, leaning into her as xe spoke. “We’re in lesbians together.”

 

“And I’m Lindsey. I use she/her pronouns and I’m really gay.” Lindsey said. When she had finished, Ray leaned forward to look at Mikey. Mikey shrugged, because they were good at getting people to show up (apparently), but they didn’t really know how to run a meeting. They let Ray take charge, and Ray did pretty well. He kept it casual, letting people just vent and get to know each other, and at the end of the meeting, they all exchanged contact information and Ray told everyone about the kik group chat. 

 

“It can function as a safe space, I guess, for us to get to know each other outside of GSA.” Ray said. He turned to Mr. Armstrong. “I don’t know if you’re allowed to join, but we could set up an email system too, to keep it kosher?”

 

“Sure. You can use my school email for that, since some of you are in my class.” Mr. Armstrong said. Ray got Mr. Armstrong’s email, and then dismissed the meeting altogether. As people started filing out, Mikey pulled out their phone to check and see if they had gotten any messages. There were none from Dallon, which concerned them. 

 

-private message to  **dadtree** -

 

**mieky** : hey u weren’t at the gsa meeting r u alive

**dadtree** : I’m sorry, I had a thing come up. It was urgent and I didn’t see it coming at all. 

**dadtree** : Was Spencer there?

**mieky** : yeah he seemed a lil uncomfortable but everyone did 2 since it was the first meeting and everything. 

**dadtree** : I should probably apologise to him for that… 

**mieky** : yea

**mieky** : do u want me to add u to the gsa group chat or do u wanna come to a meeting first

**dadtree** : I think I should wait until I’ve actually been to a meeting. I don’t want anyone to think I’m getting special treatment. 

**mieky** : cool

**mieky** : g and ray finished with meeting shit i g2g

**mieky** : good luck with whatever u were working on

 

“Mikey, are you updating twitter again?” Gee asked as xe grabbed xer art portfolio. Mikey rolled their eyes. “No, actually, I was asking Dallon where they were.”

 

“Wait, Spencer’s mystery friend?” Ray appeared over Gee’s shoulder. “You know them?”

 

“Yeah, we’re in drama together. Apparently something urgent came up and Dallon couldn’t make it.” Mikey said, and shrugged, opening up twitter because they needed to update their status now that they had survived their first GSA meeting. “I’ll probably mention it to Spencer later, once the groupchat gets updated.”

 

“Okay.” Ray said. “I should probably head home. I’ll see you guys tomorrow and I’ll add everyone into the group chat tonight.”

 

“Thanks Ray.” Mikey said. They said goodbye to Mr. Armstrong as well, who had returned to reading over the papers from earlier, and then followed Gee out. They changed into Gee’s clothes in the back of the car, and Gee changed into Mikey’s clothes and removed their makeup. Xe drove them home in companionable silence, with the playlist Lindsey had made for Gee blaring from the radio. Mikey opened up their phone and returned to twitter.

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ gay club is a go! also s.o. to  _ **_@pwheezie_ ** _ i hope ur coming out went well _

 

Mikey didn’t usually do shout outs. They figured that they could make an exception for today. After all, they’d just discovered that their friends weren’t the only gay kids in school, and that a gay club might actually work. They were about to put their phone back in their pocket when it buzzed from a twitter notification.

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ responded to your tweet: _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : it did! they all accepted me and one of them came out as well. thanks for checking in hon <3 _

 

And in that moment, Mikey was pretty sure they died of happiness. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos/a comment if you enjoyed it!


	11. welcome to gay town (Again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, taking a break from the last two things I posted (both of which were NSFW), here's a new chapter of nohic! Enjoy! (and if you're into brallon, consider reading either of the smut one shots I've made, because why not?)

**morethanafro** : why is the chat named NONW who did this

**mieky** : twas me

**morethanafro** : why

**mieky** : gee made a typo and as xer younger sibling i gotta make fun of it

**morethanafro** : so i’m gonna change that before adding in a bunch of people who we don’t know very well….

 

- **morethanafro** changed the name of the group to  **welcome to gay town** -

 

**mieky** : u r such a bore

**morethanafro** : ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**mieky** : wow ray way to mom

**morethanafro** : i am best mom

 

- **morethanafro** added  **p_wheezie** ,  **hatrick** ,  **joetrohfro** ,  **hurleyxvx** , and  **spooncer** to the chat-

 

**mieky** : welcome to the gay club group chat prepare for memes

**joetrohfro** : sick

**joetrohfro** : pete is the meme queen

**p_wheezie** : *finger guns* yep

 

Mikey stared at their phone.  _ What the fuck _ . Was Pete, the weird pink haired girl from gay club also @pwheezie, the girl that Mikey was crushing on via twitter? That would be fucking weird. Mikey figured it was just a coincidence, and that they would never mention it to Pete in case she was @pwheezie. Mikey didn’t want to seem creepy. There was also pretty much no chance that @pwheezie or Pete liked Mikey back. It would be best, for everyone involved, if Mikey just ignored the similarity.

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : pete not to be gay but i will fight you

**p_wheezie** : how the fuck was that gay all i did was finger guns

**hatrick** : pete everything u do is gay

**p_wheezie** : no everything i do is trans

**p_wheezie** : everything u do is gay

**hatrick** : eat my entire ass

**p_wheezie** : ;)

**mieky** : u are gross i’m not even 14 yet

**mieky** : i am a child

**hatrick** : wait how are you in high school if ur 13??

**mieky** : my birthday’s by the cutoff also i’m “gifted”

**hatrick** : oh so you peaked early

**hatrick** : same tbh

**hurleyxvx** : no patrick ur still peaking

**p_wheezie** : TRU

**p_wheezie** : this ass is owned by one patrick stumpth

**hatrick** : pete please spell my last name right for once in ur life

**p_wheezie** : no

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : patrick we should start a hard to spell last name club

**hatrick** : YES

**hatrick** : wait whats urs

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : iero it’s italian and no one can say it

**morethanafro** : oreo

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ray i will shave ur fucking head

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : and ur pubes

**morethanafro** : please do not

**mieky** : I AM STILL A CHILD

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : p u b e s

**mieky** : blocked

**mieky** : reported

**mieky** : removed from the group

**joetrohfro** : nope we’re keeping frankie 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : thanks but pls don’t call me frankie

**joetrohfro** : sorry dude

**joetrohfro** : it’s not close to the Dead Name™ is it???

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : nah i just don’t like people calling me by nicknames unless we’re dating

**joetrohfro** : got it. no nicknames for the frank

 

There was a knock at their door and Mikey locked and dropped their phone to their desk before they registered what they were doing. It was a result of years of strict, overbearing parents who didn’t give any warning before coming into Mikey’s room. Mikey picked their pencil off the desk to make it look like they’d actually been working on their math before turning around to see who had come in. It was their mom. 

 

“Did I interrupt your homework?” She asked. Mikey shook their head. “I was almost done. What’s up?”

 

“Your dad and I need to talk to you and Gerard for a moment. Would you mind coming down to the kitchen, please?” She asked. Immediately, Mikey thought of all the not parental approved things they’d done in the past few weeks of school, trying to figure out what they and Gee were in trouble for now. They hoped that their parents hadn’t caught on to the clothes swapping thing. Mikey and Gee had been working really hard to hide that from their parents, and it would suck if they found out. 

 

They followed their mom downstairs anyway. Gee and their dad were already sitting at the kitchen table, and Gee had a mug of coffee in xer hands. Xe looked up at Mikey, and there was an unspoken treaty made between the two siblings. Neither one would rat the other one out, and they wouldn’t say anything that could get themselves or the other in trouble. It was a sibling thing, and it usually stood, but it was important to be reminded that neither of them were on their own. 

 

Once Mikey was sitting down across the table from Gee, Gee turned to xer dad and asked, “what happened?”

 

“It’s your grandma.” Their mom said. Mikey felt relief that they and Gee weren’t in trouble, and then anger at themselves because they were relief, and then panic because what the fuck happened to Grandma? Mikey bit at their fingernail. “Is she okay?”

 

“She is, but now that your grandpa is gone, and she’s getting older, your father and I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in that house.” Mikey’s mom said. “We don’t want to put her in a home, either, because she wouldn’t stand for that, so she’s going to be moving in with us this fall.”

 

“That means the two of you will have to share a room.” Their dad said, looking between them for some kind of reaction. “We still need the guest room for when other family members come visit, and we don’t want to make Elena feel like she’s a guest. So, because your room is harder to access, Mikey’ll be moving in with you, Gerard.”

 

“Are you two okay with that?” Their mom asked. “I know that Gerard’s your older brother, but you two get along well even though you’re opposite genders.”

 

Mikey and Gee looked at each other like they were both on an episode of  _ The Office _ . Mikey turned back to their mom first. “Yeah, I’m cool with it. When am I moving in?”

 

“Well, your birthday is this weekend, so probably the weekend after it.” Their mom said. “Mom won’t be moving in until Thanksgiving break, but I want you to get comfortable sharing a room before she does.”

 

Mikey nodded. “Okay. Can I go back up to my room now? I still have some homework.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it!


	12. patrick is the Most Gay™ and i love him for it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... so I know at the beginning I was like "yeah, let's do some Brallon!" well I kind of maybe discovered the wonderful ship that is Brallencer (and also Brencer/Spallon) so. Yeah. That'll be happening. 
> 
> But, like most of the ships in this, it's gonna be a long, slow burn. Like a crockpot. But better, because you can't (shouldn't) eat the people you ship.

Mikey’s birthday was tomorrow. They were turning fourteen and so far the only people who knew were Gee, Lindsey, and Ray, and that was because they had known Mikey for more than a year. Mikey didn’t really like celebrating their birthday, because they didn’t like being in the spotlight, and also because they didn’t have many friends. 

 

They got in the front seat beside Gee, pulling down their oversized short shorts before pulling out their phone. 

 

**mieky** : good morning you gay fucks

**spooncer** : don’t be rude

**mieky** : fight me

**p_wheezie** : guys don’t fight then we’ll have to cancel gay club

**zoid** : U CAN’T CANCEL GAY CLUB

**zoid** : illegal

**p_wheezie** : i like that you removed capslock to say illegal

**zoid** : it’s for the aesthetic tbh

**zoid** : hey mikey tell your sibling to check xer phone whenever xe can

**mieky** : why

**zoid** : i sent nudes

**zoid** : no actually i just texted xem something important and i want to make sure xe actually reads it

**mieky** : sure

 

Mikey looked up from their phone. “Gee, Lindsey said to check your messages.”

 

“Doesn’t she know that I’m driving?”

 

“Yeah, but she said to check whenever you stop driving.” Mikey said. Gee made a face as xe continued to focus on the road, the early morning sun glaring up at the two siblings over the horizon. Mikey shrugged, squinting at the sun and then going back to their phone. “I don’t know. It’s probably lesbian code for something.”

 

“I don’t know lesbian code, though.” Gee said worriedly. Mikey shrugged again. They had no other advice to offer. “I don’t either. I’m not a lesbian.”

 

“Thanks, Mikey.” Gee said, xer voice dripping with sarcasm. “Whatever would I do without you?”

 

“Your best.” Mikey said.

 

**mieky** : i told xem

**mieky** : xe is also being an overdramatic shit and for once i want to get to school

**morethanafro** : wait seriously

**mieky** : no.

**mieky** : i love myself

**p_wheezie** : the only days i look forward to are the ones where i have class with patrick

**hatrick** : pete i just woke up and am on a bus with 40+ loud ass mother fuckers i do not have time for your shit

**p_wheezie** : why don’t you love me

**hatrick** : because you’re annoying

**zoid** : gay?

**zoid** : idk either of you guys’ genders atm

**p_wheezie** : patrick is the Most Gay™

**mieky** : then they’ll fit right in

 

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **patrick is the Most Gay™ and i love him for it** -

 

**hatrick** : disgusting

**hatrick** : i’m blocking you from my life

**p_wheezie** : how could you i’m the mother to your child

**hatrick** : no that’s joe

 

“Mikey, we’re here, get off your phone.” Gee said, grabbing Mikey’s arm and dragging them to the backseat. Gee had good reason to be frantic; they were running late and neither of them wanted to get in trouble for unintentionally missing class. Their parents were too observant, and would know that something was up. Their mom might even start making them ride the bus, which was the worst thing that could happen to an openly gay high school kid.

 

Mikey changed quickly, fixing their hair in the car mirror while Gee applied lipgloss. Xe waved them off, telling Mikey to get to homeroom and not worry about xem. Mikey bit at their fingernail, but grabbed their bag and left anyway. Before they closed the car door, they called out, “don’t forget to text Lindsey!”

 

“I won’t, Mikes.” Gee said, and waved their hand at Mikey again. Mikey slipped off, half running across the parking lot. 

 

They were fumbling to detangle their earbuds when they heard a familiar voice call their name. Because they were an idiot, they stopped in the middle of the parking lot, pushed their glasses up their nose, and looked around. They couldn’t see anyone that they knew, mainly because they didn’t know many people, but also because most everyone had already gone inside.

 

“Mikey!” The voice called again, and then Mikey heard someone running and froze even more before coming face to face with Dallon. Dallon, who was smiling. Mikey stared up at Dallon, squinting because their glasses had fallen down their nose and Dallon was just that fucking tall. “Hey. What’s up?”

 

“I’m dating Spencer.” Dallon said. Mikey didn’t see that coming, but if it made Dallon happy, then Mikey supposed that they were cool with it. “When did that happen?” 

 

“Last night.” Dallon said. “He's still trying to figure out his sexuality and everything, but he told me that he liked me and we agreed to try the whole dating thing.”

 

Mikey and Dallon had started walking towards the school as Dallon explained their new relationship with Spencer. Apparently the two were hoping to keep their relationship private, partially because Dallon didn't want to start any more drama with Brendon, and partially because Spencer wasn't out as whatever his sexuality was yet and Dallon wasn't really out as trans. Mikey got to know about it because Mikey was quiet and Dallon figured they wouldn't mention it to anyone without getting the okay from both Dallon and Spencer. 

 

When the two got into school, they split, Mikey promising Dallon to text them about it once they got into class. This whole Spencer-Dallon-Brendon thing was really interesting. Mikey was beginning to understand why Lindsey cared about school gossip so much. It was a constant stream of entertainment. 

 

-private message from  **dadtree** -

 

**dadtree** : This is going to sound bad but I think I still like Bren. I definitely like Spencer, though, but I don't want him to get the wrong idea about me and Brendon. 

**mieky** : idk spencer v well but he doesn't seem like a jealous person

**mieky** : also weren't spencer and brendon a thing at one point????

**dadtree** : I don't know. If they were, it was when Brendon and I weren't talking. 

**mieky** : tbh i’d mention it to spencer don't give him the wrong idea

**mieky** : i mean don't let him think you'd cheat on him but also don't lie to him abt u and brendon and anything u 2 ever were

 

“Mikey, I know that no one actually cares about Christopher Columbus, but there is going to be a test in two weeks so you need to  _ pretend _ that you do.” Mr. Armstrong said. It didn't matter that he was standing at the front of the classroom and Mikey was all the way in the back, with their iPod touch carefully hidden behind the person in front of them’s back. Mr. Armstrong was a teacher and apparently teachers could see everything. Mikey locked their phone and prepared to hand it over. 

  
“You don't need to give me your phone since this is the first time I called you out on it.” Mr. Armstrong said. “Just put it away and pay attention. And get any notes you missed from Frank, since there really is a test two Friday's from now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the weird analogy at the beginning, I'm kind of running a fever (you can't sweat out) right now. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, and please leave a comment or kudos (or both!) if you did!!


	13. trainwreck central

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this fic got noticed in the weirdest way this morning. I'm still not sure if it was a compliment or not... anyway if you came here from trohmans on tumblr hey.

“Hey, can we sit with you guys?” Mikey and Frank looked up from their lunches (Mikey's was cafeteria food and Frank's was some weird vegan thing and a cup of dry cereal) to see Pete and Andy standing above them. Mikey looked to Frank, who shrugged. Frank was doing his whole cool punk thing again, where he pretended like he wasn't an excitable small dude and instead a hardcore punk who didn't care about anything. 

 

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Mikey said, and Pete sat down in the seat beside them. Andy rolled his eyes and sat next to Frank. Mikey picked at their pinky nail. “Why do you guys want to sit with us?”

 

“Because Patrick's sick and Joe has a dentist’s appointment today.” Pete said, biting into her pizza like she actually enjoyed it. “Also, we wanted to sit with you guys because then we can all be gay together. I won't be gay, because I'm just trans, but Andy and Joe and Patrick can all be gay.”

 

“Cool.” Frank said. “Why are you eating that pizza?”

 

“Because I fucking love pizza and it's the best thing they serve here.” Pete said, while chewing pizza. Frank frowned. “You're weird.”

 

“Have you ever even  _ tried  _ the pizza here?” Pete asked, and then reached over and stole a carrot from Frank. Frank slammed his hand down over Pete's and glared up at her. “I'm lactose intolerant. Let go of my carrot.”

 

Pete let go of the carrot but it fell on the table. Frank frowned at the carrot. Pete retracted her hand before Frank could do anything about his fallen carrot, and she nudged Mikey with her leg. “So, you must be a freshman.”

 

“Why?” Mikey narrowed their eyes. 

 

“Because you got something other than pizza.” Pete said. “Look, Mikey, it doesn't take people that long to figure out that the only good thing they serve here is the pizza, and even that's kind of shitty. I was once an innocent freshman like you, who thought that I could find solace in variety, and potentially have a healthy lunch, but I soon learned. There is no hope for students here, other than greasy, cardboard tasting pizza.”

 

“Stop trying to make pizza poetic.” Andy said. His voice was quieter than Mikey remembered from gay club. Pete looked fake offended (Mikey was beginning to think that she was a really bad actress in general), and let out a gasp. “Andrew, how could you. I make everything poetic. I’ll even make Mikey poetic.”

 

Frank sputtered out a laugh, and then started coughing and Mikey handed him their milk carton before remembering that Frank was lactose intolerant and drinking milk would only make the situation worse. Instead, they handed Frank his water bottle, and got a strangled “thank you” in response. Frank coughed and sipped from his water bottle for a minute while the other three just stared at him. When he was done almost dying, Frank raised his eyebrow (still perfectly styled) at them all. “What, can’t a guy choke on air in peace? I’ve got more illnesses going on in me than you have toes. Probably. Unless someone here has a few extra toes I don’t know about.”

 

“Nah, I’ve got ten.” Pete said. “I’m just average.”

 

“Your hair says otherwise.” Mikey said. Pete smiled down at them. “You like my hair?”

 

Mikey blinked. “I never said that.”

 

“Yeah, they didn’t say they  _ liked  _ your hair, just that it wasn’t  _ average _ .” Frank said. “Mikey could’ve just meant that your hair was fucking terrible.”

 

“You’re such an asshole.” Pete pouted. “Is this because I ruined your carrot?”

 

Frank narrowed his eyes, and said with such seriousness that Mikey knew he was lying, “yes.”

 

“You’re all trainwrecks.” Andy said. Mikey shrugged in agreement. They were a trainwreck, and they weren’t even fourteen yet. They’d be fourteen tomorrow, but for now they were a small child who was too young to already be a trainwreck. 

 

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, and everyone packed up to head to their next classes. Pete and Mikey ended up going in the same direction, with Pete walking surprisingly fast for someone who was shorter than Mikey. Mikey knew they were tall, and still getting taller much to their mother’s surprise, but they weren’t  _ that  _ tall. They didn’t walk slowly, either, but Pete was making them have to quicken their pace just to keep up with her. It was kind of ridiculous.

 

“So are you scheduled for fall or spring gym class?” Pete said, waving at someone Mikey didn’t see. Mikey had no idea how Pete was friends with all these people. She was kind of weird. “Um, spring? I’m not looking forward to it… I’m only good at kickball and that’s just because I’m about ninety-two percent leg.”

 

“I’m great at kickball because I play soccer with Andy.” Pete said. “Well, not  _ with  _ Andy, since he’s still being forced to play on the girl’s team, but we both play for the school. And Andy can totally kick my ass. The school needs to hurry the fuck up and get over themselves and let Andy on the guys team where he belongs, because if Andy’s on the team, we might actually win a game.”

 

“Right.” Mikey said. Pete grinned, and waved to someone else. Again, how the fuck was she popular? It had to be the athletic thing. Also, she talked more than anyone Mikey knew, and Mikey was Gee’s younger sibling. 

 

“So, do you want to go to a game?” Pete asked. “There’s one next Thursday, and it would be really cool to see you there, you know? Since Joe and Andy are fake friends and are going to go see Patrick’s jazz band recital instead. Even though they could totally make both. The game starts an hour after school and Patrick’s thing isn’t until eight; there’s totally enough time for Andy and Joe to go home and change.”

 

“Are you going to Patrick’s jazz thing?” Mikey asked. Pete nodded. They were standing outside of Mikey’s class. There were two minutes before it started. Mikey needed to get in there, because they didn’t want to be late or get stared at as they walked in seconds before the bell. 

 

“Yeah! I’m bringing a change of clothes and everything.” Pete said. She didn’t look like she was in a hurry to get to her next class at all. “I’m even gonna bring shampoo, so that I don’t smell like shit while I’m sitting around a bunch of fancy schmancy jazz fuckers. You can borrow my shampoo, if you want. It’s fruit scented.”

 

“Do I need it?” Mikey said, reaching up to touch their hair. It felt a little greasy, but not horrifically so. They’d shower tonight, or maybe tomorrow afternoon, since it was Saturday and they weren’t going to be doing anything otherwise. 

 

“No, no, not like that. Just… sometimes it gets hot out in the stands, especially early in the season, and if you wanted to shower before the jazz thing I could totally let you into the locker rooms.” Pete said. “Hell, I’d even stand guard so no one could harass you while you showered. I’m the best girl friend you’ll ever have, Mikey, and I’m not even a girl all the time.”

 

“Um.” Mikey said, and then the last minute rush to class started and their anxiety hit the roof. They needed to get inside the classroom  _ now _ , or they would probably die. Pete seemed to realise this, and so she patted Mikey on the head and said, “I’ll see you Monday, and Thursday, Mikeyway.”

 

She turned and disappeared into the crowd, because she was small enough to do that. Mikey bolted into their spanish class, keeping their head low and not making eye contact with anyone. They had every intention of not paying attention, because they needed a distraction and they didn’t understand enough Spanish to be successfully distracted.

 

- **hurleyxvx** changed the name of the group to  **trainwreck central** -

 

**joetrohfro** : what

**joetrohfro** : andy why

**hurleyxvx** : it was a lunch joke

**p_wheezie** : u would know that if u weren’t skipping class

**joetrohfro** : i had a dentist appointment let me live

**p_wheezie** : that’s just an excuse 4 u to leave school early joseph we see through all ur filthy lies

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : hey i’m in the nurses office how bad would it be if i went through the files and stole some Drugs

**hurleyxvx** : frank those aren’t real drugs

**joetrohfro** : do it frnk

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : okay cool

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : nvm i tried moving and almost passed out. no drugs for us tonight boiz (and pete, whatever the fuck u r)

**p_wheezie** : if i apologise for the carrots will u stop being mean to me

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : no

**p_wheezie** : well fuck you then

**p_wheezie** : andy kick his ass

**hurleyxvx** : can’t he’s a fellow vegan

**p_wheezie** : HE’S LACTOSE INTOLERANT HE DOESN’T COUNT

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i didn’t choose the vegan life, the vegan life chose me

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : what the fuck?????????

**joetrohfro** : same dude. i’m never missing school ever again… i’m too far behind in this friend group/clusterfuck

**zoid** : basically we have our version of a swear jar but it’s for whenever someone makes a shitty pun or references a Really Bad Meme™

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait who has the jar

**zoid** : me

**zoid** : because until you commit a sin u keep the jar

**zoid** : i’ve been sin free since june frank get on my level

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait how do i know if it’s bad or not??

**zoid** : u don’t

**zoid** : but if someone calls u out on it u owe a dollar

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : that’s a shitty system

**joetrohfro** : no i like it

**joetrohfro** : what happens to the money in the jar?

**zoid** : every few months we get together and decide if anyone needs anything and then we count the money and see if we can get the thing

**zoid** : it’s also sometimes used for birthdays but not all the time since me, gee, and ray have birthdays within a few months of each other and we don’t always sin hard

**p_wheezie** : shit man i’m gonna go broke

**p_wheezie** : my entire personality is bad memes

**zoid** : well then you’re exactly what we need

**zoid** : because people are sinning less and less and it’s looking like me and gee are going to have to get real jobs if we want to achieve the art hoe lesbian aesthetic dream

**p_wheezie** : i wish u 2 the best and i promise to sin all the time

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed it!


	14. i hate the lesbians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sick again, which is really unfortunate because now I'll probably end up missing school. I'm taking a bunch of cool classes this year, though, so missing school actually sucks.

-private chat with  **dadtree** -

 

**mieky** : hey can i get a favour

**dadtree** : That depends on what you’re asking me. 

**mieky** : can u come to a soccer game with me?

**dadtree** : Why?

**mieky** : i accidentally agreed to go to one but i’ve never been to a soccer game before and i’m afraid to go alone

**mieky** : also i have no transportation 

**mieky** : u can bring spencer if u wanna

**dadtree** : Sure. Spencer has a car, he can drive us both. 

**dadtree** : I’ll just need to make sure I’m not working that day. When is the accidental soccer game?

**mieky** : thursday an hour after school

**mieky** : so i don’t need a ride there just a ride home

**dadtree** : I think Spencer and I can do that. Are we going to just hang out after school until it starts?

**mieky** : i guess????? i mean we could go off campus but idk what we’d do

**dadtree** : We’ll just hang out in the drama room; there’s always something to do there. 

**mieky** : k thanks 

**mieky** : now i just have to convince g to leave me alone with ppl xe doesn't know :///////

**dadtree** : Good luck, Mikey. 

 

Mikey dropped their phone down onto their chest, laying in bend and staring up at the ceiling of their bedroom. It was their birthday, officially, and they'd woken up far too early. It wasn't even nine in the morning, and already they'd been socialising. (They considered texting Dallon to be socialising, because they didn't talk to people a lot and so any kind of conversation counted). 

 

“Mikey, honey, are you up yet?” Mikey's mom called out, knocking on their door. Mikey rolled their eyes and grabbed their glasses from the side table. They put them on and sat up, running their hands through their hair to try and fix it somehow. “Yeah, I'm awake.”

 

Their mom opened the door. Almost like she didn't need permission to come in, which was total bullshit because Mikey could have been naked (they would never) or they could have had someone in the room (probably a girl, but also probably no one at all), and that would have been a not fun conversation to have. 

 

“Breakfast is ready, honey. Please come down after you do something with your hair.” Their mom said. “Be quick about it, though. I don't want the food to get cold.”

 

“Okay mom.” Mikey said, and then their mom left, leaving the door open in typical mom fashion. Mikey grabbed their hairbrush from the floor and headed to the hall bathroom, running the brush through their hair and wincing every time it caught on a knot. They needed to do something with their hair, because this, whatever it was, wasn't working. 

 

They headed downstairs, smelling pancakes and bacon and internally groaning because their mom never cooked real breakfasts unless she thought it was a special occasion. And sure, in theory Mikey's birthday was a special occasion, but they didn't care about it that much and they didn't want anyone (but especially their parents) to make a big deal out of it. They knew there was no way to avoid it, and at least they'd be getting bacon out of the whole ordeal. 

 

“Happy birthday Mikey!” Their mom, dad, and Gee all chorused as Mikey entered the room. Mikey tried to make eye contact with Gee to tell xem that they didn’t appreciate Gee siding with the parents on this one, but Gee wasn’t getting the message. 

 

Mikey suffered through breakfast, and then escaped downstairs to steal Gee’s hair straightener and see if they could do anything with it to fix their hair. They also retrieved a clean smelling (and looking) sports bra from the floor, because the one they were currently wearing needed to get washed, and a change of clothes that weren’t pajamas. 

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ birthdays are ew _

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ responded to your tweet: _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : why??? tbh i think they’re the Best bc friends _

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

**_@pwheezie_ ** _ : i’m not an attention whore irl #funfact (also sorry 4 using whore) _

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ responded to your tweet: _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : its fine!! happy birthday u attention prude (idk if that’s the right word???????) _

 

Mikey smiled down at their phone, and then almost burned themselves with Gee’s straightener because they weren’t paying enough attention to what they were supposed to be doing. Their crush on @pwheezie was getting worse, and they knew they needed to get it under control because they didn’t know @pwheezie in real life, and whoever she was, she probably wasn’t interested in a thirteen--no, fourteen, not that it made much difference--year old kid. 

 

They put their phone down and finished straightening their hair. Before they could even unplug the straightener, Gee appeared in the the bathroom doorway with a tank top and skirt. “Hey, Mikey, put these on.”

 

Mikey narrowed their eyes. “Why?”

 

“Because I don’t wanna stay in the house all day but I don’t want to wear guy clothes so I’m dragging you with me.” Gee said, dangling the clothes in front of Mikey. “Please, it’ll be fun I promise. I’ll take you to Starbucks and get you whatever coffee you want.  _ Please _ .”

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “Fine. Just wear something cool. If I have to leave the house I want to look like I meant to leave the house.”

 

“I love you.” Gee said, and handed Mikey the clothes. Mikey closed the bathroom door and changed as quickly as they could, then returned to their hair. The straightening had helped, except now their hair was longer than usual, and they looked feminine. Mikey frowned at their reflection in the mirror. They grabbed a bottle of hairspray from the counter, having no idea how old it was or if it would even work, and pulled their bangs away from their face, spraying them down in place. They looked better now, less like a girl, and hopefully their hair would stay the way it was once they changed clothes with Gee. 

 

“Gee, I'm ready!” They called down the basement stairs. Their mom was in the living room, and leaned forward. “Where are you two going?”

 

“Gee wanted Starbucks, and wanted me to come with.” Mikey said. Their mother made a face. “He's not going to buy you coffee, is he? You know you're not allowed to have coffee until you're sixteen. It's bad for your health.”

 

“I won't have any coffee, mom.” Mikey said, already planning out their Starbucks order in their head. If this was the kind of birthday they were going to have, they were cool with it. Coffee with Gee, away from their parents, sounded like the ideal. 

 

“Good.” Mikey's mom nodded, and turned back to what she was doing. Mikey still hadn't heard back from Gee, so they headed down to the basement themselves, knocking on Gee’s door and waiting for a response because they were a good person and respected their sibling's privacy. “Gee, come on, it's almost noon. Let's  _ goooo _ .”

 

“Hold on!” Gee hollered back. Mikey rolled their eyes and started knocking on the door repeatedly, because they were an annoying younger sibling and they were doing their job. Gee yelled at them to fuck off. It wasn't very loud, because xe knew that xer mom was upstairs and could possibly hear xem. 

 

Gee opened the door and Mikey almost punched xem in the face. Xe narrowed xer eyes. “Real mature, Mikey.”

 

“Let me live.” Mikey said. “Can we go now?”

 

“Uh, yeah, but I need to tell you something before we do.” Gee said, a blush crossing xer face. Mikey raised an eyebrow, waiting it out. Gee looked over xer shoulder, into xer darkened basement bedroom. “Uh, Lindsey's kind of in here. So, we're gonna go out through the basement door, if that's cool with you.”

 

Mikey stared at their sibling. “Wait, Lindsey? Your girlfriend?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“How long has she been down here?” Mikey asked, concerned because, well, their parents were literally upstairs and had made Mikey a birthday breakfast. Had Lindsey spent the night, and just hung out down in Gee’s room while xe was eating breakfast with everyone else? 

 

“She showed up after breakfast, don’t worry.” Gee said. “We haven’t been down here alone for too long, but still. We’re going to Starbucks and you’re getting illegal coffee. Don’t tell mom and dad that I had my girlfriend over.”

 

“Do mom and dad even know that you and Lindsey are dating?” Mikey asked, and came into Gee’s room. Lindsey looked up from where she was flipping through Gee’s sketchbook on xer bed, the Star Wars blanket wrapped around her. She narrowed her eyes at Gee, who was standing behind Mikey because xe had just closed the door. “Babe, I’m still not wearing pants.”

 

“Oh shit.” Gee said. “I thought you were putting them on while I was talking to Mikey.”

 

“I meant to, but then I got distracted by your art.” Lindsey said. Her mouth pulled back in a little smirk, and Mikey felt like they were third wheeling. “And your ass. They’re both very nice.”

 

“Please stop being gross in front of me. I’m still a child.” Mikey said, covering their eyes. “And please put pants or whatever on so that this can stop being weird and we can get some fucking coffee.”

 

“Shhh, calm down Mikes.” Lindsey said. Mikey still had their hands over their eyes, and could hear the sound of fabric moving as Lindsey searched for her pants. They waited until Lindsey said she was covered before removing their hands. Gee was red in the face and looking at the ceiling like it held the answers to xer next art project, and Lindsey was holding back laughter. Mikey sighed. “Can we please go get illegal coffee now?”

 

“Let’s go get coffee.” Gee said, still staring at the ceiling. 

 

“You two could change clothes, if we’re sneaking out through the garage.” Lindsey offered. Gee and Mikey looked at each other, trying to decide if it was worth the risk. On one hand, Mikey would get out of this fucking skirt faster (they hated skirts, they were so awkward to wear), but on the other hand, Gee’s car was parked in the driveway and there was always the chance that their mom would look out the window while they were headed towards the car and see Gee in a skirt and Mikey in what were supposed to be Gee’s clothes. And Lindsey. She’d also see Lindsey, who hadn’t been there before, and she’d start asking questions.

 

And then there was the question of how they would sneak in when they got back. Mikey shook their head at the same time as Gee. Gee said, “nah, we don’t want to risk it. Me and Mikey can change at Starbucks.”

 

“Okay, but I call shotgun.” Lindsey said. Mikey frowned. “It’s my fucking birthday, and my sibling’s car, you don’t get to call shotgun.”

 

“Oh, so  _ now _ you pull the birthday card.” Gee rolled xer eyes. “Fine, Mikey, you can have shotgun. Sorry Linds. I love you though.”

 

“I love you too. Let’s get Starbucks.” Lindsey said. Gee grabbed xer sunglasses, wallet, keys, and phone and lead Mikey and Lindsey to the car, careful to make sure that xer mom wasn’t watching them leave. She wasn’t, and the three got away without a problem. Gee and Mikey high-fived because they were nerds, and Mikey turned around and gave Lindsey a high five as well, since Gee was driving and probably shouldn’t be high fiving xer girlfriend at the same time. 

 

They pulled into Starbucks. Gee handed Lindsey a ten dollar bill and told her what xe wanted. Mikey did the same, and then got pulled to the bathrooms in the back. The bathrooms were unisex because this Starbucks was progressive, and there were two of them. Gee found the one that was empty and pulled Mikey inside. The two stripped down and traded clothes without looking at each other, and then returned to Lindsey, who was standing at the counter, waiting for the drinks to come out. She pecked Gee on the lips and took xer hand. “You look pretty.”

 

“Thanks.” Gee said, and nudged her shoulder. “You look prettier.”

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “You two are disgusting. Where’s Ray so I can stop being a third wheel?”

 

“Shh, Mikey, you’ll get your twitter princess eventually.” Gee said. Mikey stared at xem. “Gee what the fuck.”

 

“I’m trying to be supportive, Mikes.” Gee said. Their drinks came up, and Gee grabbed Lindsey and xer drinks, letting Mikey grab their drink. Mikey glared at Gee, who smiled back because xe was secretly an asshole, and then the three grabbed a table in the back, moving a chair over so that they could all fit comfortably. Mikey let Gee and Lindsey have the side facing the door and the rest of the store because they knew that Gee got paranoid about having xer back to people in public areas. Mikey was uncomfortable, but they had anxiety so they were uncomfortable everywhere. 

 

Mikey pulled out their phone, opening up twitter while they stirred their drink to make sure it was fully mixed. 

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ gee and linds are being gay and i feel like the biggest third wheel ever lol _

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_...i can’t believe i just unironically tweeted “lol” feel free to unfollow me, i understand (i’d unfollow me too) _

 

“What exactly do you tweet about?” Lindsey asked. Gee’s head was on her shoulder and she was running her hand through xer hair. “Because I keep meaning to get a twitter so that I can see what you’re doing but then I remember that I don’t want anyone from school to be able to find me on the internet.”

 

“Is that why you still don’t have Facebook?” Gee asked around xer straw. Lindsey nodded. “Yep. Also because my mom would want to follow me, and then what’s the point? I’m just glad she doesn’t even know that tumblr is a thing, because I’d be fucked if she did.”

 

“Yeah, I don’t think she’d be too into softcore lesbian porn aesthetic and witchcraft.” Gee said. Lindsey stuck her tongue out at xem. “Shut up, stop making fun of my aesthetics.”

 

“I’m not.” Gee said. “I love your aesthetics.”

 

“I know.” Lindsey said. Gee nestled against her further and Mikey raised their eyebrows at xem. Gee stuck xer tongue out. “Go complain about us to the group chat, if you’re really that annoyed.”

 

“Fine, I will.” Mikey said. “I will complain about your dumb gay actions.”

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **i hate the lesbians** -

 

**mieky** : gee and lindsey are being gross and gay in starbucks someone come save me from my misery

**mieky** : please it’s an emergency

**morethanafro** : which starbucks?

**mieky** : the one not by the school the one by the mall but not in the mall

**hatrick** : pete’s on the floor but she said she wants to come ruin the gay

**hatrick** : are you cool with the two of us showing up?

**mieky** : yeah sure just pls buy coffee the people here don’t get paid enough to deal with our shit

**hatrick** : i’ll tell pete and then have my mom drive us

**morethanafro** : aww ur a babie

**morethanafro** : (i can’t talk; my mom’s driving me because my older brother’s home for the weekend and gets car privileges because he was born first)

**mieky** : ur moms a homophobe 4 doing that

**morethanafro** : i’ll tell her you said that

**mieky** : wait no

**mieky** : ray please i like ur mom

**morethanafro** : she laughed and told me to wish u a happy birthday

**mieky** : i hate u

**hatrick** : wait mikey it’s your birthday? why didn’t you say anything??

**mieky** : bc i don’t like the attention (thanks ray)

**morethanafro** : no problem bro

**hatrick** : pete said happy birthday and that she’s gonna do something for you on monday. she told me not to tell you but i’m giving you a warning anyway because i know pete and she’s kind of… Extra

**mieky** : both of you two would be invited to my party if i was having one

**hatrick** : thanks mikey

**mieky** : pete’s not invited i don’t trust her anymore; patrick can come because he warned me about pete

**hatrick** : i told pete this and she said she felt betrayed

**hatrick** : @ pete get over yourself

**morethanafro** : hey mikey i’m almost here where r u sitting????

**mikey** : corner, by the window, my back is to the door but g and lindsey will be able to see you 

**morethanafro** : okay cool

 

Mikey put down their phone and sipped from their drink. Part of them wished that no one knew when their birthday was because they hated how they were treated on their birthday. It was like everyone pretended to love them and acted like they were this perfect person who could do no wrong and Mikey thought it was dumb. Mikey wasn’t perfect, and they did stupid shit all the time. There was no need to turn their birthday into some big event to try and make them feel special. 

 

“So is Ray coming?” Lindsey asked. Mikey nodded. “Yeah, and I think Pete and Patrick are gonna show up too.”

 

“Oh, there’s Ray.” Gee said, sitting up, a smile on xer face. Lindsey was also smiling, but there was something mischievous about the two of them and how they lit up at the same time. Mikey narrowed their eyes and turned around. 

 

Ray was there, holding the door open so that the entirety of the GSA (and Brendon and Dallon) could come into the Starbucks. He waved at Mikey, and because Mikey was in a public place and there were adults around who would probably judge them, they didn’t flip Ray off. They did, however, turn back around to Gee and Lindsey and stare the couple down. “Did you two know about this?”

 

“Duh.” Lindsey said. Gee nodded and finished their drink. “Of course. We’re gonna go crash a laser tag place now. You can shoot me with lasers if that makes you feel better.”

 

“Only if you promise to buy me whatever food I want after dinner.” Mikey said. Gee tilted their head, looking confused. Mikey leaned back as everyone else got into line to order whatever they were getting. “Gee, there’s no way you planned this without mom and dad finding out and demanding information. And there’s no way they would send you out without food money, since it’s my birthday and apparently that means I get treated like royalty. So. You’re buying me sushi at that sushi place by the laser tag place.”

 

“Okay, cool.” Gee said. Ray came over with a chair, sitting down next to Mikey. “My mom and Patrick’s mom are driving everyone else… but if you want to take some people with you I am totally down for that.”

 

“I can take Frank.” Gee said. Ray shook his head. “No, I like Frank. Take someone else.”

 

“We’re taking Frank.” Lindsey said. Ray sighed. “Fine. I’m gonna kick your ass, though. I’m gonna kick everyone who isn’t Mikey’s ass.”

 

“No, please kick my ass.” Mikey said, deadpan as they pulled out their phone to see if they had any twitter notifications. “That’s my kink.”

 

“ _ Mikey _ .” Gee said. “I thought I raised you better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	15. Never Have I Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gays gather and play a game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of long but it's essentially a look into some of the dumb shit that the characters have done in the past. Enjoy!

Laser tag was fun. It was Mikey, their friends, and then about twelve children having a birthday party of their own. Brendon and Pete were the most competitive, but they both sucked. Ray was the best out of the group, winning two of the three games (Andy won the third). Gee and Mikey worked as a team, as always, and used their childhood code names for their game names. There was just something familiar about being called Kobra Kid. Mikey liked it the most when, in the second game, they got third place and the words  _ Kobra Kid _ showed up on the scoreboard in big white letters. It was like Mikey was talented or something. 

 

They went and got sushi later, but Gee got it to go because apparently Ms. Toro had ordered pizzas to the Toros’ house for after the laser tag, which meant that everyone was going to the Toros’ house for free food. Mikey still wanted their sushi, and Gee wasn't interested in pizza (but xe thanked Ms. Toro anyway) and so the two Way siblings ordered their Japanese food to go and Mikey held on to the boxes for the ride back. 

 

They ended up driving Pete, Andy, and Dallon as well, so that Patrick's mom could go home and not drive a bunch of random kids around for the next few hours. Pete and Andy sat in the far back seats, with Dallon and Lindsey in the middle row. Pete kept asking Gee to change the music because she didn't like it until Gee rolled xer eyes and said, “Lindsey, can you grab the aux cord and hand it to Pete so that she’ll  _ shut up _ ?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Lindsey said, and ducked down to pick up the forgotten cord. Mikey had no idea how she knew where it was. They practically lived in this car and they had no idea that Gee's aux cord even existed. It was probably some kind of girlfriend privilege that Mikey would never know about because they weren’t anyone’s girlfriend. 

 

Lindsey handed the cord back to Pete, who thanked her. A few seconds later, the entire car got rickrolled and amidst the screams, Mikey heard Andy turn to Pete and say, “I’m going to strangle you with this fucking seatbelt you meme fuck.”

 

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll change it.” Pete said. What she changed it to wasn’t any better, because Andy was right and Pete really was a meme fuck, and apparently all she had on her phone (or at least the playlist she was going through) was meme songs and meme remixes. It was oddly endearing, but Mikey was still really glad when they finally got to Ray’s house and Gee turned the car off.

 

They headed to Ray’s basement, which was cool and looked like it came straight out of a 90’s teen movie. Not a dumb movie, though, but one that got screenshots edited on tumblr and got used in soft grunge aesthetic blogs. There was a guitar stand in one corner, along with a bunch of posters, and then a keyboard and an old couch that the Toros had salvaged from a garage sale years ago. According to legend, Gee had had xer first beer on that couch, and then spilled half of it in between the cushions because Ray and Lindsey had jumped xem at the same time, unaware that xe was trying to have a beer in peace.

 

That had been a few years ago, when Mikey was nine and their parents were concerned about them spending all their time with “dangerous middle schoolers.” Mikey still didn’t understand why Gee’s own parents classified xem as dangerous, or why they thought that Ray and Lindsey would be a bad influence on Mikey. 

 

“The pizza will be here soon.” Ms. Toro said, leaning in. “Gee, Mikey, if you two want to put your food in the fridge for a bit so it won’t get cold I could do that for you?”

 

“Thanks Ms. Toro.” Gee said, getting up from xer spot on the floor and handing the to-go bags over. Once Ms. Toro was gone, xe returned to the circle, pulling Lindsey over so that she was in xer lap. Frank rolled his eyes. “Stop being so fucking gay, Gee.”

 

“Absolutely not.” Gee said. Lindsey laughed, and proceeded to dip herself and Gee in a dramatic fashion. 

 

“So, what’s the plan, Mikes?” Ray said, nudging Mikey’s shoulder. Mikey shrugged. They hadn’t had a plan in mind. They’d never been around this many people their age without some kind of adult supervision. There were so many possibilities. “I know it’s kind of early, but we could play never have I ever?”

 

“I don’t drink though.” Dallon said, their face going red when they said it. Spencer patted them on the head. Mikey chewed on their finger, even though there wasn’t any nail left and they ended up ripping some skin off. “Um, we could play it without drinking, then? And clap instead of taking shots?”

 

“It worries me that you know so much about a drinking game, but sure.” Gee said. “You start, though, since it was your idea.”

 

“Fine.” Mikey said. “Never have I ever… smoked.”

 

“Wait, cigarettes or weed?” Brendon asked. Mikey frowned. “Um… cigarettes. Someone else can get the weed.”

 

“Okay, good.” Brendon said, and leaned back against the leg of the couch she was sitting against. She was dressed more masculinely, in a tank top and cargo shorts, but the tank top was a girl’s tank, and she was wearing pink vans. Mikey hadn’t gotten a pronoun update from Dallon, so they assumed that Brendon was still going with she/hers. 

 

Gee, Lindsey, and Ray all clapped. Frank clapped a second later, loudly, and said, “what? I’m from fucking Jersey, you fucks,” when everyone else looked at him weirdly. Pete quietly clapped her hands. “It was on a dare. They were nasty as fuck.”

 

“I’ll go next.” Ray said. He looked over his shoulder to make sure his mom wasn’t going to appear, and then said, “never have I ever given someone oral.”

 

“Fuck.” Gee said, and clapped xer hands. Mikey clapped as well, as did Patrick, Pete, Joe, Dallon, and Brendon. Lindsey leaned across Mikey, her hands in Ray’s face, and slowly clapped at him. Frank also clapped for that one, and laid down on his back so his head was in the middle of the circle. “I’m gonna lose.”

 

“Wait until we get to the drugs, then Brendon’s gonna be out in three rounds.” Spencer said. Brendon leaned over and smacked his thigh. “Fuck you.”

 

“Okay.” Spencer said, winking. Dallon rolled his eyes, and Mikey saw Spencer rub his thumb over the back of Dallon’s hand. Mikey was so confused by the three of them. They weren’t sure if they wanted Dallon to sit down and explain everything or if it was better for their mental health and general safety to just not know anything at all. 

 

“Alright, you fucks, I’m about to kick your ass.” Frank said, rubbing his hands together. “Never have I ever thought I was cis.”

 

“Wait, so if we  _ are  _ cis, or if we identified as our birth gender, we clap?” Joe asked. Frank nodded, looking like an asshole. Joe narrowed his eyes at Frank and clapped, along with everyone else in the circle except Gee and Andy. Andy shrugged. “I mean, there was probably a time when I was like three or whatever when I thought I was a girl, but I’ve known Pete for most of my life and I pretty much hung out with them and a bunch of other guys and refused to let anyone call me by my full name. So, eat shit, Frank.”

 

“I like you.” Frank said, pointing up at Andy and then opening his hand to give him a high-five. Andy high-fived Frank and then Frank rolled over onto his side to face Gee. “You didn’t clap. You’ve always known you weren’t a cis?”

 

“I never identified with guys growing up, and I was always stealing Mikey’s Barbies and making them have cool supergirl adventures.” Gee said, blushing a little. “I had a whole storyline and everything… mom only got mad when I started colouring their hair. I may or may not have watched too much Sailor Moon as a kid.”

 

“And you read way too many comics.” Mikey added. Gee nodded. “Yeah, but you stole them or made me read them to you, so shut the fuck up.”

 

“Uh, never have I ever played with Barbies?” Pete said. Everyone kind of stared at them (because apparently Pete was using they/them now, and Mikey needed to make a chart or something). Pete shrugged. “What? I have two older brothers and my baby sister was born after we donated all our toys.”

 

“Okay, sure. Clap if you got the Barbie experience.” Frank said, and clapped. Gee and Mikey clapped, along with Lindsey, Patrick, Andy, and Brendon. Brendon kicked Spencer’s leg until Spencer clapped quietly. He slumped down against Dallon. “Brendon’s parents let us watch Project Runway and we made my sister’s old Barbies into models. It was my idea but Brendon was the one who made the clothes.”

 

“Yeah, Spence was just in charge of hair and makeup.” Brendon said, smiling like she’d won a bet between the two of them. 

 

“Never have I ever bleached or dyed my hair.” Patrick said, looking pointedly at Pete. Pete flicked Patrick off--while clapping--and Joe did the same from Patrick’s other side. Gee frowned and clapped, but Lindsey didn’t, grinning. “I manage to look goth enough with my natural hair. How does that feel, Gee?”

 

“Horrible, baby.” Gee said, and kissed her forehead. Mikey rolled their eyes. “Gross.”

 

“Fuck you.” Gee said.

 

“The pizza’s here, guys!” Ms. Toro said, and Gee and Mikey panicked for a second before remembering that Ms. Toro was a cool mom and wouldn’t care that Gee was swearing. Mikey secretly wished that their parents were as half as cool as Ray’s parents. 

 

Ray grabbed the pizzas and Gee headed upstairs to get Mikey’s and xer food from the fridge, and then the game resumed. Joe poked Patrick with his foot and said, “never have I ever sung in a church choir.”

 

“Fuck.” Gee and Ray said in unison, and clapped. Frank clapped as well, saying “I went to Catholic school, fuck you, Joe” as his excuse. Brendon, Spencer, and Dallon clapped as well, and Andy looked annoyed before clapping in Joe’s ear. Patrick had already clapped, and was pushing Joe’s face away from his own, causing Joe to fall over against Andy, who just let Joe use his shoulder as a pillow. Andy patted Joe’s bleached hair and looked around the room. “Never have I ever drunk alcohol.”

 

“What the fuck, man?” Brendon said. She clapped, as did Ray, Gee, Lindsey, Frank, Pete, Patrick, Joe, and Spencer. Dallon raised their eyebrows at Andy. “Are you Mormon or something?”

 

“Oh my God, Dal, Mormon’s not everyone’s excuse for being lame, just yours.” Brendon rolled her eyes. Andy shook his head, though. “Nah, just straight edge and vegan. It helps with the whole sports thing. A lot of people don’t take me seriously on the field because I’m trans, so I gotta prove myself.”

 

“Andy’s not an asshole vegan.” Pete said. “We like him.”

 

“Thanks.” Andy said. 

 

“Never have I ever… um.” Dallon said. “Never have I ever smoked weed.”

 

“Lame.” Brendon said, and clapped. Frank nodded, clapping as well, “yeah, fuck Mormons if they can’t even smoke weed.”

 

“I’m Mormon, technically, but I’m a really bad Mormon.” Brendon said. Spencer leaned against Dallon. “Dallon drinks Dr. Pepper, and that’s against Mormonism because of the caffeine.”

 

“Wow, so rebellious.” Brendon said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Dallon frowned at her, and then looked around the rest of the room. “Wait, so are Frank and Bren the only ones who’ve smoked weed?”

 

“Wait, no, I have.” Joe said, and clapped. Pete and Patrick clapped as well. Ray and Gee looked at each other, nodded, and then both clapped. Mikey clapped as well, but hoped no one noticed. Everyone did, staring at Mikey like they were some kind of heathen. Frank was the first to speak. “Seriously? The same person who says ‘never have I ever smoked’ has done the weed?”

 

“Yes, I’ve done the weed.” Mikey said, rolling their eyes. “That’s why I clarified earlier.”

 

“Wait, when?” Ray asked, like he hadn’t just clapped. Mikey picked at their nails. “Back when the Gabe Saporta thing happened.”

 

“Oh…” Ray said, nodding knowingly. “Right.”

 

“Never have I ever kissed a guy.” Spencer said, moving Mikey’s friends away from the whole Gabe Saporta and weed thing.Mikey clapped out of relief, and because they’d kissed Gabe at least once. Frank clapped, as did Pete, Patrick, Joe, Dallon, Brendon, and Gee. Lindsey looked smug, kissed Gee’s cheek, and proudly announced, “I’m a fucking lesbian!”

 

“I’m aroace, I’m winning by fucking default.” Andy said. He reached over Frank and high fived Lindsey. Ray shrugged. “I’ve kissed a grand total of one person, but they weren’t a guy so hah.”

 

“Wow, Ray, so proud of you.” Gee said, but xe sounded a little weird when xe said it. Mikey raised their eyebrows and made eye contact with Gee, but Gee shook xer head. Mikey nodded; they’d ask about it later, when there weren’t other people around. 

 

Brendon crossed her legs at the ankle, almost hitting Frank in the face. “Never have I ever… shit. This is hard when you’ve done a lot of things.”

 

“I know,” Gee said. “I only have two fingers left before I’m out.”

 

“Holy shit.” Frank whispered, sounding a little impressed.

 

“Yeah, and I thought I was bad.” Brendon said, nodding in agreement with Frank. “Um, never have I ever hooked up with a straight guy.”

 

Mikey did everything they could to not look at Dallon, because they’d been on twitter long enough to know a vague about someone when they saw it. And that was definitely a vague, and it was probably aimed at Dallon because of the whole Spencer figuring out his sexuality and Dallon not being very cis. Mikey clapped, though, because they were pretty sure that Gabe had been straight when they got stoned an hooked up at the party Mikey wasn’t even supposed to have been at. Dallon clapped as well, but Mikey couldn’t see their expression. Frank squinted at the ceiling for a while before finally shrugging and clapping. 

 

Gee frowned. “What’s your definition of hooking up?”

 

“Pants are removed.” Brendon said, waving her hand dismissively. “Someone orgasms, probably. You don’t mention it to any of your friends or people you’ve dated because you’re a little embarrassed and ashamed.”

 

Gee nodded. “And… what if the theoretical person isn’t straight now but thought they were straight then?”

 

“I guess it counts.” Brendon shrugged. She looked a little confused. Mikey really wanted to know who this straight guy was. They wondered if Lindsey knew, or if she wanted to know.

 

“Okay.” Gee said, and clapped. Lindsey gave xem a look. Gee stared at the floor. “It was years ago, babe.”

 

“I don’t mind.” Lindsey said. Gee visibly relaxed. Xe looked down at xer hands, one finger still up. “Shit, it’s my turn and I’ve only got one thing left. I need to kill some of you guys.”

 

“Not literally.” Ray said. Gee nodded. “Duh. Um, never have I ever played an instrument successfully.”

 

“Fuck.” Ray clapped. Frank just started clapping really loudly, and Patrick joined in. Pete nudged Patrick’s shoulder and stage whispered, “do I count?” Patrick shook his head, still clapping along with Frank. “No, Pete, because you fucking suck.”

 

“Okay, cool.” Pete said. Joe and Andy each clapped once. Spencer and Brendon clapped as well, and Dallon looked a little upset. Mikey tilted their head. “Dallon, you okay?”

 

“I want to learn bass, but my parents said that basses were evil because they’re a rock instrument and that being in a rock band is sinful.” Dallon said. “So, until I leave the house, I can’t actually do what I want.”

 

“That sucks.” Pete said. “You can always come over to my house. I have a bass, but according to Patrick--who is fantastic at every instrument ever--I suck ass. We can learn together or something.”

 

Dallon smiled softly. “Thanks.”

 

Frank and Patrick had stopped clapping, because apparently they both played multiple instruments. They were looking at each other with platonic bro heart eyes, like they couldn’t wait until the game was over so that they could sit down and talk music. Ray looked pretty interested in the potential music discussion as well, and Mikey wished they had some kind of talent to contribute to their friend group. Ray and Frank had music, Gee and Lindsey had art, and Mikey had… weird hair. Weird hair and a large collection of hats. 

 

“Hey, Mikey, if you wanna come over and learn bass, you can come over too.” Pete offered. Mikey stared up at them. “Seriously?”

 

“Yeah.” Pete nodded. Mikey smiled. “Thanks.”

 

“Can I join the bass club, or do I need a tragic backstory to be invited?” Lindsey asked. Pete nodded. “Hell yeah. We’re gonna make a band of just bassists.”

 

“That is the worst idea you have ever come up with.” Patrick said, burying his hands in his face. Pete wrapped their arm around Patrick’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Trick, I’ll let you sing in the bass band. It wouldn’t be a real band without your soul voice.”

 

Patrick sighed into his hands. “...thanks, Pete.”

 

Pete grinned.

 

“Okay, so.” Lindsey said. “Never have I ever… had a crush on someone for months without mentioning it to them.”

 

“I’m out,” Gee said, and clapped. Mikey clapped, because they figured that @pwheezie counted as a long term crush. Pete and Patrick also clapped, then looked at each other and started laughing. Mikey pretended they didn’t feel jealous. Brendon let out a sigh and clapped, as did Dallon and Spencer. Mikey wondered if there would ever be a YA love triangle as convoluted as Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon. 

 

Frank sat up on his elbows. “So, since Gee’s out, are we gonna keep playing or are we gonna move on?”

 

“We can keep playing, see who the prude is.” Pete suggested. Mikey frowned at them, and Gee looked ready to launch into a speech about why prude was a demeaning term. Pete put their hands up in defense and said, “I didn’t come up with the terms, but when I’d play with the soccer guys, whoever was the first out--in this case, Gee--was the whore, and whoever was the last out was the prude. I get that the terms are shitty but I don’t have any other ones.”

 

“I’m cool with it.” Brendon said. “I get called a whore all the time, it doesn’t matter.”

 

Gee still looked like they wanted to explain slut-shaming. Lindsey squeezed xer bare thigh. “Gee, it’s just a game. It’s okay.”

 

Gee sighed. “Fine. I’m a whore, whoo-hoo.”

 

“Okay, now that we’ve established that… go, Mikey.” Pete said. “It’s your turn.”

 

Mikey nodded. “Never have I ever… not needed glasses.”

 

“What the fuck,” Pete said, and clapped. As did Spencer and Lindsey. So apparently most of Mikey’s friends were blind. 

 

“Never have I ever straightened my hair.” Ray said. Mikey clapped, and narrowed their eyes at their friend. “We should try it. You’d look really weird but it would be cool.”

 

“It would be a pain in the ass to do.” Frank said, and clapped. Pete and Andy clapped as well. Andy looked ashamed that he had to clap, and said that it was Pete’s fault, anyway. Pete grinned. Mikey wondered if Pete was ashamed of anything at all. Pete laid down across Patrick’s lap, waving their hands in the air. “I’m out! Second place whore, hello!”

 

“Congrats.” Patrick said drily. Frank rolled over and high fived Pete. “I’m proud of you. Also, never have I ever been on a sports team.”

 

“I’m already out, there’s no need to attack me.” Pete said, and clapped anyway. Andy and Joe clapped as well, but that was it. Most of Mikey’s friends were not athletic, which didn’t surprise Mikey at all. They weren’t the type to attract athletic, cool people. They were kind of a nerd. 

 

“Never have I ever been in a school marching band.” Patrick said, and Ray and Frank clapped. Spencer clapped as well, looking personally attacked. “I just wanted to do drumline, I didn’t think I would end up losing a party game because of it.”

 

“That’s your fault for trying to be well-rounded, honey.” Brendon said. Spencer flicked her off. “Fuck you, at least I’m not in chorus  _ and  _ drama. Marching band’s a seasonal thing.”

 

“Whatever.” Brendon said. Frank sat up, and scooted back out of the middle of the circle. “I’m out. Marching band killed me.”

 

“Sucks.” Joe said. “Never have I ever had red hair.”

 

“I could fix that.” Andy said, and clapped. “It’ll only cost ten bucks and someone driving me to the nearest convenience store.”

 

“I’m just trying to get you caught up to the rest of us, dude.” Joe said. “Let me live.”

 

“First of all, fuck you.” Andy kicked Joe’s ankle. “Second, never have I ever been Jewish.”

 

“ _ Rude _ .” Joe said, and clapped in Andy’s face. Dallon leaned against Spencer, not being obvious at all. “Well, if we’re gonna go the religious route… never have I ever been Catholic.”

 

“I am already out!” Frank shouted, but Mikey and Ray still clapped, as did Patrick. Patrick shrugged. “I tried it out in middle school because they had a better chorus. The whole anti-gay thing drove me away, though.”

 

“Yeah, I just stay there to spite them.” Frank said. Brendon grinned. “Me too! Except, like, with Mormonism and not the whole Catholic thing. I’m probably going to get kicked out of my house when I’m eighteen, but I’m cool with that.”

 

“I’m probably gonna get kicked out when my mom realises that I’m trans and that my post high school plans are start a punk band and live in people’s basements until I have enough money for an apartment.” Frank said. He kicked one of his shoes off and it landed in the middle of the circle, near Spencer. Spencer pulled his feet up to his chest so that he wasn’t near Frank’s sneaker any more. He kicked his other shoe off and it hit Patrick’s calf. Patrick leaned forward, over Pete, and moved the shoe away. “Alright, I’m out. Congrats, Dallon, you made me whore number four.”

 

“When do people stop being whores and start being prudes?” Lindsey asked. Pete tapped their finger against their lower lip and Mikey had the sudden urge to reach over and bite Pete’s lip. In a violent, kissing manner. They didn’t, obviously, because Pete was literally laying in Patrick’s lap and Mikey knew better. Also because all of their friends were there and Pete was explaining their version of Never Have I Ever. “I think when we get about halfway through everyone… how many people are here?”

 

Lindsey did a quick count. “Twelve.”

 

“Okay then. The next two people are whores and then everyone else is a prude.” Pete said. “According to fuckboy soccer player logic.”

 

“Great.” Gee rolled xer eyes. Lindsey kissed xem. “It’s okay, babe, I still love you.”

 

“Who’s turn is it?” Brendon asked. Pete leaned their head back, stretching across Patrick. “I think it’s Spencer’s? Dallon, you just went, right?”

 

“Yeah, it’s Spence’s.” Dallon said. They were looking at Spencer like he was the most beautiful thing in the room, which was a lie considering that Pete was there, as well as Ray’s Les Paul in the corner, under all the posters. Dallon probably didn’t know all the things about guitars that Mikey did from being friends with Ray for years though. 

 

Spencer looked back at Dallon with a warm smile on his face. “Never have I ever worn dress clothes to school when it wasn’t picture day.”

 

“Dude, I’m still not playing this game.” Frank said. “Catholic school had a uniform and it was the worst.”

 

Dallon clapped, but they didn’t look too mad about it. Brendon also clapped. Lindsey frowned. “What qualifies as dress clothes? Because sometimes I wear ties and vests and shit.”

 

“Uh, sure, that counts.” Spencer said, looking away from Dallon. Dallon was still looking at Spencer and Mikey thought that it was pretty obvious Dallon had a thing for Spencer. Mikey just hoped it worked out for Dallon, and for all three of them, because Mikey thought Dallon was a cool person and didn’t want anything shitty to happen to them. 

 

“I’m out.” Brendon said, and put her legs on top of Spencer’s. “Lindsey, you go.”

 

“Okay…” Lindsey said. “Never have I ever brought an electric heater into the shower because I didn’t want to be cold during winter camp.”

 

“I’m out.” Mikey clapped. To pretty much everyone’s surprise, Joe clapped as well. “It wasn’t at an official winter camp, but Pete’s parents have a house in the mountains and we sometimes go up there during winter break and one time the heat wasn’t working and I wanted a shower so I just… took the heater in with me. Patrick stopped me before I could actually get myself killed, though. That was my tenth thing, though, so I guess I’m out too.”

 

“So who’s left?” Pete asked. 

 

“I think it’s just me, Andy, Dallon, and Spencer.” Ray said. Lindsey leaned into the circle and grinned. “I’m still in, fuckers.”

 

“What?” Gee said. “How?”

 

“It’s because everyone else here likes guys in some form.” Lindsey shrugged, looking really proud of herself for being a lesbian. “No one’s targeted me.”

 

“Well it’s my turn and I’m gonna target the shit out of you.” Ray said. “Never have I ever been kicked out of a youth group for sharing my opinions.”

 

“They were being sexist assholes!” Lindsey said, but clapped anyway. “And your old youth leader was a homophobic piece of shit, no offense. I’m just surprised that none of you guys said anything.”

 

“Well, see, our parents are religious and we didn’t know that Ray’s parents were cool then.” Gee said. “Me and Ray weren’t about to out ourselves to an entire group of teenagers. We’re dumb, but not that dumb.”

 

On the other side of the circle, Spencer nudged Dallon with his shoulder. “Do I count?”

 

“We both count, Spencer, but I’m already out.” Brendon said. Dallon nodded. “Yeah, Brendon’s right. Storming out after getting in a yelling match with some other guys there definitely counts as being kicked out of a youth group.”

 

“Cool.” Spencer said, and clapped. “Go, Andy.”

 

“Never have I ever kissed someone.” Andy said. Everyone who was still in clapped. Spencer put his hands up and leaned back, next to Dallon. “I’m out. You four have fun.”

 

“Never have I ever… had coffee?” Dallon said, and there was a collective gasp from Mikey’s side of the circle. Gee, Lindsey, and Ray all lived on coffee at this point, even though they were still in high school, and Mikey--whenever they could--drank coffee. There was something nice about the caffeine. It made reality a bit more bearable, and there were some really interesting flavours available. Ray and Lindsey clapped, as did Andy, who added, “it’s Pete’s fault, really. They kept dragging me to Starbucks after soccer practice last year because they’re literally a basic white girl, and I caved.”

 

“I’m just really persuasive.” Pete said. Patrick ran his fingers through their hair. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Pete.”

 

“Hey, I persuaded you and Joe and Andy to hang out with me.” Pete said. “That counts.”

 

“Are me and Dallon the only ones left?” Andy asked, getting a nod from Pete. Andy turned to Dallon. “Okay, so I don’t think anyone’s done this yet… but never have I ever been Mormon.”

 

Dallon clapped. “Never have I ever been on twitter?”

 

Andy clapped. “Fuck you. Never have I ever been in drama.”

 

“I’m out, congrats, Andy, you’re the…” Dallon paused, looking like they didn’t want to say prude. Pete, because they had the least tact ever, sat up and booped Andy on the nose, grinning. “You’re the most boring person here, Andy! Congratulations!”

 

“I’m not boring, you guys just focused on sexual shit.” Andy said. Pete shrugged. “Still. Boring. But cool.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it! Also, feel free to come talk to me on my tumblr (pickledgerard)!


	16. The Truth About Ray And Gee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now that school's started back, updates might be a bit more spaced out. Also, I've been reading a lot of Brencer fics recently, but don't worry. That's not changing the plot of this fic.

-private message to  **geewhiz-**

 

**mieky** : hey so what was up w/ u at ray’s house u were acting a little weird

**geewhiz** : mikey i am literally downstairs there is no need to use the chat

**mieky** : actually there is since it’s like 2 am and we’re supposed to be asleep

**geewhiz** : oh yeah i forgot time was a thing

**mieky** : incredible

**mieky** : but seriously what’s up gee

**geewhiz** : okay so u know that time i got grounded the summer between 8 and 9 grade because i snuck out one night?

**mieky** : ye

**geewhiz** : me and ray got some pot idk how it was his and we went to a park and smoked it and kind of… hooked up? at least according to brendon’s definition of hooking up

**geewhiz** : it was before ray came out as bi so we like never talked about it after

**geewhiz** : i already knew i was pan… i think that was back when i thought i was like 100% into guys though

**geewhiz** : and then lindsey happened and yea

**geewhiz** : mikey? ur not mad at me right?

**mieky** : no

**mieky** : i just wasn’t expecting “me and ray had a stoned hook up two summers ago” to be the explanation

**mieky** : but it’s cool

**mieky** : tbh when u 2 were in middle school i thought you were going to turn ray gay and then date him

**geewhiz** : plot twist i kind of did

**mieky** : oh yeah he came out as bi in like 9th grade

**mieky** : g ur the alpha gay in our friend group congrats

**geewhiz** : thanks

**geewhiz** : i’m gonna maybe go to bend

**mieky** : k

 

Mikey put down their phone for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. So that was a thing that had happened. Ray and Gee had always been close, considering how long they’d known each other, but now that Mikey thought about it, the two had stopped hanging out for the first semester of their freshman year, and Lindsey had started coming over more. Mikey had hung out with Ray, but they didn’t ask why Gee was being avoidant because they figured it was just Gee being Gee.

 

Apparently it wasn’t just that. Apparently it was Gee not knowing how to return to being friends with xer supposedly straight friend who xe’d… done things with. Mikey decided to not think about what Gee and Ray had done. It was probably for the better. 

 

Their phone dinged and they rolled their eyes. Mikey picked it up, not too surprised that they had a message from Dallon.

 

-private message from  **dadtree** -

 

**dadtree** : I think that Brendon is trying to break Spencer and I up.

**dadtree** : Also, I think she knows that we’re dating.

**mieky** : did u tell spencer this

**dadtree** : Should I tell him? What if he wants to date Brendon instead? 

**mieky** : idk him as well as you do but… he seemed like he was more into u than brendon so i don’t think he’s gonna leave u

**dadtree** : I would completely understand if he did. Brendon’s prettier than I am, and a lot more interesting. 

**mieky** : yeah but dramatic

**dadtree** : Mikey, all three of us are dramatic to some extent. We feed off of each other, when we’re not too busy tearing each other down. 

**dadtree** : Also, I can’t tell if I’m jealous of Brendon or if I still like her. It’s really confusing and I feel like a bad person because I really do like Spencer.

**mieky** : talk to him

**mieky** : also i’m sorry if my advice is shit but i am literally a small child and i don’t know what i’m doing

**dadtree** : I’m sorry. I just don’t have any other friends besides Spencer and Brendon, and I don’t think I can go to either of them asking for advice about this.

**mieky** : nah it’s cool

**mieky** : i’m just letting u know that i might be completely wrong about everything

**dadtree** : At least you’re trying?

**mieky** : tru

**dadtree** : I think I’ll talk to Spencer. I’ll do it tomorrow, though. I should probably go to bed since I have church tomorrow and my parents really wouldn’t appreciate me falling asleep in the middle of it.

**mieky** : i have mass 2 but i also don’t sleep like at all

**mieky** : i am not a good role model

**dadtree** : As your dad friend, I’m telling you to go to bed.

**mieky** : okay goodnight dad friend

 

Mikey did not go to be immediately, because they went on twitter. @pwheezie had posted new lyrics, from the Smiths’ song Hand in Glove. Mikey wasn’t sure why @pwheezie was posting sad love lyrics, and was a little concerned.

 

**_t(-.-t) @pwheezie_ **

_ [attached images] _

_ yes, I know my luck too well//and I'll probably never see you again _

 

**_@pwheezie_ ** _ : no offense but who hurt u (abt the last edit u made) _

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ replied to your tweet: _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : not hurt, just a little in love with someone i can’t have (thnks for the support tho) _

 

Mikey’s heart sank. So @pwheezie was interested in someone else. Mikey knew, on some level, that they had no right to be upset, or jealous of whoever @pwheezie was pining over, but they still did. They still felt like they had been robbed at a chance of having a really cute online romance, one that their followers would gush over and ask when Mikey and @pwheezie would be meeting each other offline, or if they’d skyped each other yet. That wasn’t happening, though. Mikey would just have to get over it and move on.

 

**_@pwheezie_ ** _ : i hope it works out for you! ur a really cool girl; you deserve the best from whoever it is out there _

 

Mikey turned their phone off before they went to bed, because they didn’t want to hear the buzz from @pwheezie responding. They closed their eyes, and managed to get a few hours of sleep in before their lights were being turned on by their mom coming in and telling them they needed to get up and shower. 

 

Mikey showered, half asleep, and changed into church appropriate clothing. It was a dress, the only dress they had that wasn’t fitted for Gee. It was denim, and Mikey’s dad thought it was too casual for church, but their mom was just glad it was a dress. They straightened their hair and even put on some eyeliner, smudging it because they couldn’t be bothered to get the lines perfect. Mikey looked at themselves in the mirror, and they decided that they looked really out of place in a dress. They were meant for jeans, was the thing. They couldn’t even wear shorts. 

 

“Mikey, please hurry up so you have time for breakfast!” Their dad called. Mikey let out a sigh and grabbed their PJs from the bathroom floor, tossing them into their room before heading downstairs. They ate their breakfast in silence, letting their parents talk about whatever while they didn’t check their phone. Gee showed up, xer hair still damp from xer shower, about five minutes before the Ways needed to leave, and xe got a three minute lecture on why xe needed to work on xer time management skills before xe went off to college. Gee nodded along, pouring xemself a cup of coffee and not grabbing any cereal. It was too late for that. 

 

Gee finished xer coffee and xe and Mikey followed their parents to the car. Mikey finally turned their phone back on, only to be bombarded with notifications. Some were twitter, some were the group chat, and one was a snap from Frank.

 

Mikey opened the snap first, to see a picture of Frank wearing large sunglasses and pouting against the window of a moving car. The caption was  _ Mom’s making me go to Catholic church pls let it be the same as U/Ray/Gee _

 

Mikey snapped Frank back with a picture of their knees, because they didn’t want their parents to ask why they were taking selfies in the car. They captioned it with the name of their church.

 

Frank responded with a thumbs up, half covered by the  _ 33 mph _ filter and the caption  _ rad, that’s where we’re going! _

 

Mikey grinned. At least they wouldn’t be alone. They sent a private message to Gee, letting xem know that Frank would be at church, and Gee smiled at xer phone. Xe looked up, tucking a strand of hair behind xer ear. “Hey, mom, dad? One of our friends from school is gonna be at mass. Can me and Mikey sit with them?”

 

Their parents looked at each other, but eventually their dad nodded. “Sure, just make sure you tell us where you’re sitting.”

 

“Thanks dad,” Gee said. The rest of the car trip was in silence, with only the sounds of 80’s pop music playing from the car radio. They parked in the back lot, and Gee and Mikey trailed in behind their parents, Mikey snapchatting Frank the outside of the church so that he knew that the two of them were there. They also sent a snap of Gee, managing to get Gee’s face before xe realised Mikey was taking a picture of them. 

 

Frank responded with a black screen and  _ we just pulled in i’ll come find u guys _

 

He did. Mikey and Gee hovered in the back of the sanctuary until Frank and his mom came in. Frank waved at them, said something to his mom, and came over. He immediately brushed a hand through his hair and grinned at them. The drawing of the scorpion on his neck was gone. “Hey guys. My mom said she wanted to meet your parents but I convinced her not to. She made me take off the Sharpie tattoo last night so I figure we're even now.”

 

“Oh.” Gee said. The concept of a parent listening to and agreeing to the requests of a child was foreign to xem and Mikey. “That's cool.”

 

“Where do you wanna sit?” Mikey asked. Frank shrugged. “The back I guess.”

 

The three of them sat together in a pew in the back. About twenty minutes into the service, Mikey realised that they could be on their phone and their parents wouldn’t know, and, after making Gee promise to cover for them if their parents asked any questions, spent the rest of mass on twitter. They even snapchatted with Dallon for a bit, but then Dallon had to go to Mormon church. Unlike Mikey, Dallon actually payed attention in church services. 

 

For once, mass was bearable. Mikey decided that they liked having Frank around on Sundays. They just hoped that neither of their parents found out about the whole trans thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave kudos or a comment if you enjoyed it!!


	17. The Soccer Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely meant to update this like two days ago but I forgot. Surprise, I'm a depressive slump!! ((It sucks))
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!!

Mikey’s week, up to Thursday went as such:

 

Monday, in school, was normal. Everyone who had showed up to Mikey’s birthday also showed up to the GSA meeting. Mr. Armstrong got them to figure out ways to raise money so that the club could get t-shirts or bracelets or magnets or whatever they wanted. Gee volunteered to make a design, but the rest of the club just wanted to get rainbow shit. Brendon suggested a field trip to the mall to see what kind of rainbow gear they had there. 

 

On Tuesday, Mikey spent their lunch period explaining algebra to Frank and ignoring Pete. Pete, Patrick, Joe, and Andy had taken up permanent residence at Frank and Mikey’s table, which Mikey didn’t have too much of a problem with, except that they had a math quiz the next day, and Frank still had no idea what was going on in that class. He was freaking out that he’d fail the quiz, and then his mom would get curious about Mikey’s tutoring skills, and force them to tutor Frank from the Iero’s house instead of school.

 

That, of course, would be a problem, since Frank and Mikey were actually at GSA and not talking about math. 

 

Wednesday: Andy and Frank convinced Pete to try veganism, or at least go vegetarian so they could still have pizza and not feel like they were betraying themselves. Brendon and Dallon got added to the group chat (Mikey added Dallon and Spencer added Brendon) but neither of them started any drama so Mikey counted it as a win. They did get a private message from Dallon, who was freaking out about Spencer adding Brendon to the chat, but Mikey reminded Dallon that Brendon was now a part of GSA and it made sense for her to be in the chat.

 

Thursday, Pete walked Mikey to class and mentioned that they were feeling more masculine, and to start using he/him pronouns until further notice. He also reminded Mikey that his soccer game was that afternoon, as if Mikey could forget. Pete was in his soccer uniform, and didn’t have his backpack because apparently he had athlete privilege. Mikey promised that they’d be there, and then spent most of biology reconvincing Gee to let them stay after school with Dallon and (probably) Spencer. 

 

**joetrohfro** : pete guilt-tripped me into saying this but he has a soccer game after school today and you guys should go

**spooncer** : i’m already going with dal and mikey but thanks joe

**joetrohfro** : no problem spoon man

**joetrohfro** : why the fuck is ur name spooncer anyway that’s such a random name

**spooncer** : bren made me choose a dumb name

**brebdo** : it’s not dumb it’s funny and cute

**spooncer** : it’s kind of dumb

**spooncer** : idk what else to use tho so spooncer it is

**mieky** : @ spencer/dallon where the fuck r we meeting up after school

**spooncer** : idk prob the drama room

**spooncer** : let me ask dal

 

**spooncer** : dallon said sure

**spooncer** : also does dallon use proper grammar w/ u too or is it just w/ me?

**mieky** : they do it with me 2 it’s their thing apparently

**spooncer** : it’s endearing

**spooncer** : they’re trying so hard

**joetrohfro** : is dallon the dad friend then? or do they not want to be associated with masc things?

**spooncer** : joe their name is dadtree they’ve accepted their role as dad friend

**mieky** : i mean ray is our mom friend and he uses he/him

**mieky** : i don’t think gender determines ur role in this family

**joetrohfro** : cool i call weed cousin

 

-private message from  **morethanafro-**

 

**morethanafro** : hey mikey can i tell u something?

**mieky** : ye sure

**morethanafro** : i already told gee but i wasn’t ready to make it public and idk if i am yet but i trust u

**morethanafro** : i’m probably gonna tell lindsey soon idk when

**mieky** : ok

**morethanafro** : so i’m trans

**morethanafro** : binary trans girl

**morethanafro** : i’m still cool with ray as a name (this has nothing to do with the new star wars movie and rey being the coolest space girl ever whaaaat) but when ur talking to gee could u use she/hers? i’m not ready to present feminine or be out-out but i trust u two

**morethanafro** : i also trust lynz i just haven’t figured out how to let her know

**mieky** : i’m cool with that

**mieky** : my friend group is slowly becoming a girl gang and i’m okay with being the token Not Girl friend

**morethanafro** : gee’s not a girl???

**mieky** : xe said xer gender is “nonbinary girl” so xe kind of is a girl

**morethanafro** : i guess u are the token Not Girl then

**morethanafro** : congrats

**morethanafro** : also thanks for being cool about it

**mieky** : duh. we’re all trans here it’s okay

**mieky** : well lindsey isn’t trans yet… but u never kno

 

The bell rang, and Mikey gathered their things, heading to English. English passed by slowly, because Mikey had already read the chapters they were going over in class and they were bored out of their minds. Dallon wasn’t answering any of their messages, either, which was annoying. Miket wondered if Dallon was one of those people who actually kept their phone off in class and didn’t try to text. 

 

They got a message from Dallon at the end, though, telling Mikey to meet them and Spencer in the drama room, and that they’d take Spencer’s car to the Wendy’s by the school for the hour or so they had until Pete’s game started. Mikey responded with “cool” and then told Gee what the plan was so that xe wouldn’t get to anxious. 

 

-private message from  **geewhiz-**

 

**geewhiz** : i can still take u home if u want

**geewhiz** : frank’s coming over bc i told him that i understood algebra and he’s panicking 

**geewhiz** : did u have a test or something???

 

Mikey rolled their eyes as they headed across the school to the drama room. The quiz yesterday had been easy--for Mikey at least--but Frank was terrified that his mom would make him quit his social life if he didn’t prove that he was a math genius. Gee was okay at math, though, and xe probably had Ray or Lindsey with xem, and both of them were fucking incredible at math for some reason. 

 

**mieky** : yeah we had one yesterday

**mieky** : also ray told me 

**geewhiz** : told u what

**mieky** : that she’s trans

**geewhiz** : o yeah i totally forgot about that

**geewhiz** : not in a bad friend way but more of a i’m stressed way

**mieky** : any stress in particular

**geewhiz** : idk 

**geewhiz** : just feeling weird

**mieky** : ok 

**mieky** : let me know if you wanna get stoned and talk about it bc i’m down for that. i know how to get weed

**geewhiz** : if getting weed involves sexual acts the answer is no

**mieky** : g no. apparently pete and joe know people who sell good weed and pete promised me some if i asked

**mieky** : apparently it’s his version of a birthday present, which is cool

**geewhiz** : pete’s fucking weird

**mieky** : he gives people weed coupons for their birthdays gee i am not complaining about being his friend

**mieky** : tbh i’d probably do sexual acts with him if it got me good weed

**mieky** : he’s on the soccer team apparently they know the best weed secrets and have like interesting parties that aren’t a bunch of people trying shit for the first time and then hooking up and not remembering it

**geewhiz** : i will never understand how you managed to have a social life while being a literal fetus

**mieky** : it’s my geeky looking charm. people think that i’m naive and clueless… i’m not

**geewhiz** : no shit

**mieky** : gotta go i’ll text u eventually

**geewhiz** : don’t do anything illegal

**mieky** : ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Mikey put their phone away and pushed the drama room door open. Spencer and Dallon were on the edge of the stage, leaned against each other and looking at whatever Dallon had in their lap. Mikey walked over, jumping up on the stage beside Dallon. “What’re you guys looking at?”

 

“Costume ideas.” Spencer said. “That and set design. Veronica let us have her notebook, which means she trusts us now.”

 

“Veronica?” Mikey asked.

 

“Ms. Jones, drama teacher.” Dallon said, turning the page over. “Everyone who’s been in drama for more than a semester calls her Veronica. She’s pretty cool, except she’s really bad about remembering people’s pronouns.”

 

“She’s trying though, and that’s better than most teachers.” Spencer said. He frowned and looked up from the notebook. “Some asshole pulled Dallon over between classes and tried to dress code them because they were wearing eyeshadow. Eyeshadow doesn’t have a fucking gender, it’s just a bunch of powder and shit in a little tub.”

 

_ Spencer should talk to Gee about unnecessarily gendered items _ , Mikey thought. They looked up at Dallon, and indeed, they were wearing eyeshadow. Dark grey, and sparkly. It looked pretty fucking cool, to be honest. Mikey voiced their opinion, and a small smile grew on Dallon’s face. “Thanks. I’ve always liked sparkly stuff, for some reason. Spencer got it for me, and I figured I’d wear it today since we’re actually doing things.”

 

“Speaking of which, are we going to Wendy’s or what?” Spencer asked. Dallon nodded, and closed the notebook. “I’ll take this back to Veronica. You and Mikey can head to the car.”

 

“Alright, cool.” Spencer said, and there was a moment between the two of them where Mikey thought that they might kiss, because that’s what couples did, but they didn’t, and Dallon just jumped off the stage while still looking at Spencer, and Spencer watched Dallon’s back for longer than was necessary. He blinked, and shook his head. “Car. Yeah. Um, follow me, Mikey?”

 

“You know you can be affectionate in front of me.” Mikey said, following Spencer out of the drama room. “I really don’t care.”

 

“I know, but other people do. And Dallon gets enough shit for their gender, even from the drama kids.” Spencer said. He sounded tired. Disappointed in his fellow peers. Mikey could relate. Being gay in high school was hard. It was even harder if you were transgender, as Mikey was slowly starting to learn. 

 

The two of them sat on the hood of Spencer’s car (which was a slightly beat up silver Saturn from like 2000 or something) and waited for Dallon. Spencer kept kicking the headlight, which was already broken. Mikey crossed their ankles. “Dude, calm down, they’re probably fine.”

 

“Yeah, but what if someone corners them?” Spencer said. “Is that a common thing? Do people get beaten up for being gay in real life?”

 

“I mean, yeah, but I don’t know if it happens here a lot.” Mikey said. They didn’t mention how Gee had come home multiple times last year with bruises on xer arms, and how Ray’s mom had filed a complaint to the school administrators because Ray and Gee both had tried to skip school and hide in the Toros’ basement after someone outed them on twitter. Mikey figured that that information, while true, wouldn’t be helpful right then. 

 

Dallon appeared a few moments later, and the three of them headed to Wendy’s, getting Frostys and a large order of fries to share. They grabbed a table in the back, far enough from the door that they couldn’t be seen. Mikey asked about the plot and point of  _ Anything Goes _ , because they still didn’t know shit about it, and Spencer and Dallon both lit up before going into detail about the show and everything Mikey could ever need to know. 

 

Apparently, Spencer preferred smaller roles, and working as a stagehand, whereas Dallon liked major roles because they weren’t very coordinated with props. Mikey had stage fright, which they knew from that one time Gee had tried to start a band a few years ago and had made Mikey learn guitar. Mikey, eleven at the time, had thrown up and started sobbing relentlessly before the band’s first ever show. Ray, who was the drummer, managed to calm them down and give them a glass of water so that they could go out and play. 

 

That was the only show they played, because apparently Catholic church youth groups didn’t appreciate a girl (Lindsey) in a faux Catholic school uniform doing backbends and calling herself a witch. 

 

“Oh, shit, we need to go.” Spencer said suddenly. Mikey pulled out their phone, and, yeah, Pete’s game was starting in twenty minutes and Mikey had no idea how to get into a sporting event. 

 

“Do we need to buy tickets?” Dallon asked as they threw away their containers and headed to Spencer’s car. Mikey shrugged. “I think it’s free for students. There probably aren’t a lot of people at soccer games, since our team kind of sucks.”

 

“The guys suck.” Spencer said. “I heard the girls were really good.”

 

“That’s because they still think Andy is a girl.” Mikey said. Spencer and Dallon both looked confused. Mikey rolled their eyes and got into the backseat, behind Dallon. Spencer started the car and Mikey pushed their glasses back up their nose. “Andy’s the red headed guy in GSA. He’s got glasses, looks like he could kill you with one hand?”

 

“Oh yeah, him.” Dallon said. “Isn’t he, like, secretly really nice or something?”

 

“It’s not a secret.” Mikey said. “He’s just quiet, or at least that’s what Pete told me when I asked. Apparently Andy’s not the most talkative person, which makes sense. Someone in that friend group has to be quiet.”

 

“It’s sure as hell not Pete Wentz.” Spencer said, and then shouted, “fuck!” when he had to break aggressively because a shiny new truck cut them off. Spencer honked, holding down the horn, and in response the person in the passenger seat of the truck rolled down their window and threw their drink at Spencer’s car. Dark brown soda splashed up on the window, and the guy who had thrown it shouted out, “fuck you, fags!” before flicking Spencer off and rolling his window up. Spencer looked pissed, and Dallon threw their arm across Spencer’s chest. “Spence, don’t. Seriously. They have better insurance than you do, and we’ll get in trouble.”

 

“Yeah, but consider this,” Spencer said, “my car’s already messed up.”

 

“Dude, we’re gonna be late to Pete’s game.” Mikey said quietly, their anxiety spiking up. On one hand, yes, they did want to get back at the assholes who had done that. On the other hand, they really didn’t want Spencer to ram his car into a truck about twice their size. That couldn’t end well. 

 

Spencer let out a sigh. “Okay. Sorry, I just… they’re fucking rude.”

 

“I know.” Dallon said. “But it’s not like we can do anything without getting in a lot of trouble, and I really don’t want to explain this shit to my parents.”

 

“Okay.” Spencer said, relaxing. Dallon lowered their hand, keeping it on Spencer’s leg, above his knee as he drove them back to the school. They parked in the back lot, by the soccer field, where people were already warming up. Mikey got out and leaned against the top of Spencer's car, squinting and trying to find Pete. It shouldn't have been hard, since Pete had bright pink hair, but Mikey couldn't see him anywhere. Mikey frowned. “I don't see Pete.”

 

“I mean, soccer fields are pretty big. Maybe he's just out of sight.” Dallon said, walking around the car to be next to Spencer. Mikey couldn't see it from where they were, but Dallon had taken Spencer’s hand and was holding it. Spencer looked down at his and Dallon's hands, and then up at Dallon's face. “So, do we go find seats now?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Mikey said, and they did. They were seated in the back row, behind two parent couples who were in a deep discussion about their kids on the team. Mikey hunched forwards. “I don't know anything about sports, by the way. Pete just made me promise to show up because none of his other friends were gonna be able to make it.”

 

“You could've said no.” Spencer said. Mikey shrugged. “I mean, sure, but at least now I have an excuse to not be at home.”

 

“Are your parents that bad?” Dallon asked, leaning around Spencer and looking worried. Mikey was beginning to understand why people referred to them as the dad friend. Mikey made a face. “I guess? They aren't gonna kick me or Gee out but they definitely don't approve of us being… not straight.”

 

“That sucks.” Spencer said. Mikey nodded. “Yeah, me and Gee are used to it though. We know how to get around the things they try to do.”

 

“...right.” Spencer said, slowly, looking confused. Dallon was nodding, though, and Mikey figured they were just as unable to come out to their family as Mikey was. Spencer was either lucky or new enough to the whole being not straight thing that he wasn’t aware of how shitty parents could be about their child being gay. 

 

One of the moms in front of Mikey tapped her husband on the arm. “Oh, honey, they’re starting!”

 

The conversations in the stands died down as the players took the field. Mikey could see Pete now, his short, bright pink hair standing out against the dark blue of the uniforms. He looked… good, which was unfortunate because Mikey didn’t need to be developing yet another crush on someone who was unattainable. They were already in over their head with the whole @pwheezie situation, which was slowly turning into a mistake because apparently @pwheezie had a crush on someone she knew in real life (obviously not Mikey, as they didn’t know @pwheezie outside the internet). 

 

“Yeah, go Pete!” Dallon yelled out. Mikey zoned back in to see Pete running down the field with a ball under his feet. He passed it to someone else on the team and Spencer fist pumped the air. “Nice!”

 

“You two are like embarrassing parents.” Mikey said. Spencer nodded. “We’re aware of this. It’s why we don’t have a lot of friends.”

 

“Brendon’s worse.” Dallon added. Spencer’s eyes widened and he nodded even more. “Holy shit, yes. She’s fucking obnoxious sometimes.”

 

“Her older brother graduated last year and she got kicked out of the ceremony for throwing confetti and blowing an airhorn.” Dallon said. “I had to pick her up because there was still like an hour left and she didn’t want to stay downtown with nothing to do.”

 

“Wait, wait, Dallon, shut up one of our guys just got knocked over.” Spencer said. Mikey was glad that Spencer, and Dallon, from what they could tell, was enjoying himself, because Mikey felt bad about dragging the two of them to see a sporting event that they knew nothing about. Mikey turned to the field, scanning the players to try and figure out what was happening. They found Pete, who was pretty obvious to spot, and then found the player who had fallen. One of the referees blew a whistle, and the people crowded around the fallen guy dispersed. 

 

Fallen guy got up, and got to shoot a goal, which he made. Dallon and Spencer cheered, and Spencer kept elbowing Mikey until Mikey started cheering as well. Pete looked up and flashed the three of them a thumbs-up. 

 

The rest of the game went by with Mikey not knowing what was going on, watching Pete, and listening to Spencer and Dallon spurt out random pieces of information on their childhoods. Mikey replied with some of their own, because they weren’t completely inept. Eventually, the game ended, with Pete’s team losing two to six. Mikey had no idea if that was a good score for a soccer game or not, but they still dragged Dallon and Spencer down to the field to congratulate Pete anyway. 

 

Pete wrapped Mikey in a sweaty hug, grinning into the side of their head. “You’re officially my best friend, Mikeyway.”

 

“What about us?” Dallon asked. They were standing close to Spencer again, a little bit away from Pete and Mikey. Honestly, Mikey wished they were a bit away from Pete, because Pete smelled like sweat and grass and mud. He was also kind of gross. 

 

“I mean, you guys are pretty great too, but…” Pete said, holding Mikey closer when they tried to wriggle out from under Pete’s grasp. “You didn’t promise me you’d show up. You just promised to come with Mikey so they wouldn’t have to be alone.”

 

“Thanks, guys.” Mikey said, and finally escaped from Pete. They pushed Pete away with a smile on their face. “Go shower, you’re gross.”

 

“I’m offended.” Pete said. Mikey rolled their eyes. “I’m covered in your sweat.”

 

“Okay, true,” Pete said, and snatched Mikey back for a final hug. “I’ll meet you three up at the school. Then we can see Patrick the musically genius and have music orgasms. It’ll be great.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	18. bass fuckers for president

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got to meet two of my internet friends yesterday, and we ended up talking about fics for like five hours. That was pretty great.

-private message from  **dadtree** -

 

**dadtree** : so u and pete were flirting yesterday

**dadtree** : anything u wanna tell me

**mieky** : wat.

**dadtree** : also hey this is actually spencer i forgot my phone at dallon’s house so i stole theirs and hacked their account

**dadtree** : they don’t even have a passcode for their phone i’m dating an idiot

**dadtree** : a cute idiot 

**dadtree** : but anyway: u and pete. very flirty. explain 

**mieky** : i don’t have a crush on pete if that’s what you’re going for

**dadtree** : see i thought that about dallon but then…… well…. they’re my date person

**mieky** : okay but see… pete’s not into me 

**dadtree** : sounds fake but ok

**mieky** : i’m serious he’s dating patrick

**mieky** : or at least romantically involved with patrick idk the details

**dadtree** : wait seriously

**dadtree** : i had no idea

**dadtree** : whoops

**mieky** : it’s okay; i’m not even that mad. patrick is cool n they seem cute together

**dadtree** : u kno the more u type the more i think u really do have a crush on pete

**dadtree** : shit dallon’s back bye mikey i’m gonna delete this to destroy evidence

 

Mikey let out a sigh and slumped further into their homeroom seat. Frank turned around and gave them a look. “You okay back there, dude?”

 

“I’m just tired.” Mikey shrugged. They were tired, but not a “I didn’t sleep well last night” tired. More of a “life is too much right now and I need a break” tired. It was annoying, and they just wanted their dumb, mentally ill brain to sort it’s shit out. On top of that, this weekend they were going to start moving into the basement with Gee. Sharing a room with their sibling was great, but the whole moving downstairs thing was going to be a pain in the ass. Especially since their room was a mess and their parents would probably make Mikey clean up before they could move down to Gee. 

 

Not that Gee’s room was clean or anything. But Gee wasn’t the one moving. 

 

“If you wanna sleep through first period I can cover for you.” Frank offered. Mikey shook their head. “Nah. We have a test next week. Also, I like this class.”

 

Frank shrugged. “Your loss. I was even gonna take notes for you, but if you wanna do it yourself, go ahead.”

 

“I don’t trust your notes.” Mikey said. Frank flipped them off. “Fuck you.”

 

The bell rang then, signalling the official start of the day, and Mr. Armstrong started calling role for homeroom. The point of homeroom was to cover all the shit that school didn’t usually cover, and there was even a curriculum book for it. Sometimes Mr. Armstrong followed what was in the book, but usually he’d go off on tangents and skip the school approved bullshit.

 

It was actually kind of interesting, and when Mikey told Gee about it, xe’d been jealous because apparently all xer teachers just read what was in the book and didn’t question if any of the material was good or not. 

 

Mikey mused on that for the rest of the day, thinking about how school was kind of a blank, mind numbing experience where straying from the norm wasn’t acceptable. It was an interesting concept, but Mikey had no idea what to do with it. 

 

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **bass fuckers for president** -

 

**p_wheezie** : yo where my future bassists at

**mieky** : spanish

**p_wheezie** : hola fuckers

**p_wheezie** : i would also like to state that i am not in a class and am instead just off school grounds with joe we are smoking the dank memes

**p_wheezie** : i mean weed

**p_wheezie** : do i put a dollar in the jar mikey

**mieky** : sure

**joetrohfro** : yo

**p_wheezie** : joe my dude ur a not bass man leave the chat

**joetrohfro** : no i’m here and i’m lurking

**dadtree** : I can’t believe I pulled my phone out in class for this.

**mieky** : dallon no offense but literally everyone is on their phone in class

**p_wheezie** : i’m not in class

**mieky** : i kno thank u pete

**p_wheezie** : ur welcome mikey

**zoid** : so is this whole bass club thing actually gonna happen???? because i have my own bass back from when me mikey gee and ray were a band for like 5 minutes

**mieky** : wait u still have bert mccracken

**dadtree** : Why did you name your bass bert mccracken?

**zoid** : he was a guy g had a crush on and i was an asshole friend

**mieky** : it was ray’s idea

**zoid** : yeah and we named ray’s drumset gabe saporta and you threatened to quit the band

**mieky** : YOU DON’T NAME ENTIRE FUCKING DRUMSETS

**mieky** : also just because i had a tiny little crush on him when i was like 11 doesn’t mean u can name an entire drumset after him

**zoid** : yeah u had a crush on him

**zoid** : then u sucked his dick apparently

**mieky** : ok but i wasn’t 11 when that happened so leave me and my thing with gabe saporta alone

**p_wheezie** : my bass doesn’t have a name i’m a negligent parent someone call child services

**p_wheezie** : have them whip my ass

**p_wheezie** : ;)

**mieky** : soooooo petition to get stoned with pete while at bass club

**dadtree** : Do I have to sign? I don’t do weed.

**zoid** : lame

**zoid** : no u don’t have to sign. i’m gonna sign tho 

**zoid** : the best way to play bass is while baked apparently

**zoid** : this according to some guy on the internet who i’ve never met

**mieky** : stop talking to strangers on the internet

**zoid** : ok mikey twitterfamous way

**mieky** : shhhhhhh no one who follows me on twitter knows who i am irl

**p_wheezie** : srsly

**p_wheezie** : none of ur followers know ur a tiny child in a trenchcoat

**joetrohfro** : mikey doesn’t have atrench coat

**p_wheezie** : it’s a metaphor

**p_wheezie** : u put the tiny child in the trench coat but you don’t let it do the trenching

**zoid** : dollar in the jar for referencing john green

**mieky** : and another for shitposting

**joetrohfro** : shitposting is a crime now? fuck. 

 

Mikey put down their phone for a moment because they needed to be paying more attention in Spanish than they actually were, and Frank kept kicking them with his foot. Mikey turned around and narrowed their eyes at Frank. “What?”

 

“Dude, Ms. Carzanno keeps looking over here.” Frank hissed back. “Get off your phone.”

 

“I already did.” Mikey said, and turned back around. They made it through the rest of the period, barely paying attention to Ms. Carzanno, and instead thinking about the bass club. They didn’t see themselves performing any time soon--stage fright had made that idea impossible--but it would be cool to play bass. 

 

The bell rang, and Mikey grabbed their things, following Frank out of the classroom. The two of them could walk together to their last class, because they both had English, just with different teachers. While they were headed down the hall to the English classrooms, Frank paused and let out a soft, “oh, fuck.” 

 

“What?” Mikey asked. Frank was already turning around, and he looked over his shoulder at Mikey. “We need our textbooks and I left mine in my locker. I gotta go get it because I’m one fuck up away from detention and my mom will freak if I get in trouble for something stupid.”

 

“My locker’s right by my class and I have the same book as you.” Mikey offered. Frank grinned. “Mikey, you are actually my favourite person.”

 

“Thanks.” Mikey said. They turned around, ready to lead Frank to their locker, and rammed head first into some guy. The guy turned around, and immediately Mikey wanted to die because he was about four inches taller than Mikey and had a full on beard. He also looked like the kind of guy that Gee tried to avoid whenever xe went to cons or gaming competitions. Mikey took a step back. “Sorry.” 

 

“Aren’t you the kid sister of that tranny guy?” Beard face said. Mikey didn’t know what to do with their hands so they just put them in their pockets, which were of a reasonable size because they were wearing guy pants. “What?”

 

“Gerard or whatever. Wears a lot of makeup, thinks he’s a girl or something.” The beard said, and Mikey could feel the anxiety attack coming.  _ Wow _ , they thought, as Frank appeared beside them,  _ this is something straight out of a movie. This is how I die _ . The beard guy looked Mikey and Frank up and down. “And what, are you guys lesbians or some shit? Does being a queer run in the family?”

 

“Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t, but you don’t get to fucking say that word.” Frank said. He was up on his toes, trying to look bigger, but his outermost jacket was a bit too big on him and was giving him sweater paws so he didn’t look all that intimidating. He stepped forward, in front of Mikey. “If you’re gonna call me a fucking slur, at least have the decency to use the right one.”

 

“What, dyke?” Beard face looked somewhere between amused and confused, and Mikey could understand the second one. What the fuck was Frank doing? 

 

“Try again, fucker, I’m a boy.” Frank said, in a startlingly calm voice, and then reached up and fucking decked the guy. It was a solid punch, with a resounding smacking crunch that silenced the people around them. The world, at least the part surrounding Mikey, froze for three seconds, where Mikey could only hear their heart pounding in their chest and the sound of Frank breathing loudly and angrily, and then the world resumed. Fast forward, with too much sound and too much screaming as Beard face back handed Frank and Frank punched him in the gut and someone started cheering.

 

Mikey was pretty sure they were in two places at once during the fight, because they were frozen in place but they were also holding Frank back, telling him to just let it go, that it wasn’t worth it, that he’d get in trouble with his mom and he didn’t want that. Mikey had no idea which situation actually happened, because it seemed as soon as the fight started, there was an administrator pulling Frank and Mikey away from each other, and another pulling Beard face away from Frank. 

 

They didn’t know how they ended up in the front office, but they were there. And then Gee was there, and xe was saying something to the administrator but Mikey couldn’t understand xem. Everything felt like static, and they thought maybe they were crying, but they still didn’t feel like they were in their own body. They didn’t know where Frank was, and so they pulled on Gee’s arm to ask xem but Gee never said anything about Frank. And then Mikey was sure that they really were crying, and then Gee was crying, maybe? It was all confusing. It was too much, and it was confusing, and Mikey just wanted to be somewhere that wasn’t so bright and didn’t have so much noise, but they couldn’t make their voice work. 

 

Then they were in the bathroom in the nurse’s office, maybe. It was a single person bathroom, but Gee was in there with them, sitting beside them and holding their hand. Mikey wiped their face, knocking off their glasses. They had forgotten they even wore glasses. They picked their glasses up off of the floor and looked at Gee. “What happened? Is Frank okay?”

 

“Frank’s fine.” Gee said. “He’s probably going to get detention, or even suspended, but he’s fine. He hit the other guy pretty hard, though.”

 

“Do mom and dad know?” Mikey asked, because they had just remembered that they had parents. This whole forgetting obvious things was weird and a little scary and they didn’t know how to deal with it. Gee shook xer head. “Not yet. The school’s going to call them, though, but I don’t think you’re in trouble. I mean, you might get like one day of detention because you were in the fight, but me and Frank made sure to tell the administrator guy that you were trying to stop the fight, not get in it.”

 

“I really don’t remember much of what happened.” Mikey admitted. Gee wrapped xer arms around Mikey, pulling them in for a hug. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Mikey.”

 

“This is fucking weird, Gee.” They said into their sibling’s shoulder. They could feel Gee nodding above them. Mikey hugged Gee back, wondering if they’d done something exceptionally weird that they didn’t remember, and that was why Gee was so worried. Gee felt like safety, though, and so they just held onto xem and the two sat there, on the floor of the bathroom, until the bell rang and the nurse came in and told them that school was over but if they needed some more time they could stay there. Gee looked to Mikey, who nodded. “I’m okay. We can go home now, I guess.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed the chapter!!


	19. momfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now a lot of my friends know that I write bandom fics. IRL friends, if you're reading this: hey.

**p_wheezie** : so i’m never smoking weed again

**hatrick** : what why

**p_wheezie** : apparently frank and mikey got into a fight with some rando dude and then frank ended up with a week of detention

**geewhiz** : mikey wasn’t in the fight they were trying to stop it

**p_wheezie** : o shit really

**p_wheezie** : kudos to mikey then i guess

**morethanafro** : r frank and mikey ok??

**geewhiz** : yeah mikey’s a little frazzled but frank’s fine

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : my mom is pissed af because i started it but she’s not grounding me (thank god) because she thinks that you guys are good influences

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i think it’s because i told her that mikey tried to stop me from hitting the douche face and so now she thinks that mikey’s a good person

**geewhiz** : mikey is a good person

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i know that but my mom didn’t

**morethanafro** : so since ur not grounded does that mean ur coming over so i can kick your ass at video games

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ur not gonna kick my ass but yea i should be able to come over

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’ll just say that ur even nicer than mikey

**mieky** : i mean… ray kind of is

**mieky** : ray change ur name to momfriend so that frank’s mom knows ur legit

**morethanafro** : ugh fine

 

- **morethanafro** changed their name to  **momfriend** -

 

**momfriend** : are u satisfied

**mieky** : yes

**mieky** : ray toro is our mother

**mieky** : i am indebted to out mother ray toro for without ray i would never have been born

**hatrick** : no offense but u guys are on a completely different level of friendship

**p_wheezie** : patty my love you can’t judge them u’ve known me since we escaped the womb

**hatrick** : that’s not how we met pete stop spreading lies

**p_wheezie** : i will when u stop denying ur love for me

**hatrick** : an unstoppable force meets an immovable object

**zoid** : dollar in the jar!!

**hatrick** : for that????????? what the fuck honestly

**mieky** : i agree with lindsey patrick fork over a dollar

**hatrick** : how it’s saturday i’m not gonna see any of you guys until like monday

**zoid** : leave the group chat and i’ll give u my address so u can come over and hand me that fucking dollar

**zoid** : i am the money witch u can’t escape me i’ll curse u

**zoid** : hahahahahaha

**mieky** : so scared

**p_wheezie** : speaking of witches what are we doing for halloween

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m turning 15 stealing a six pack of beer from the basement and getting drunk somewhere because why the fuck not

**geewhiz** : wait ur birthday is halloween

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : yeah

**geewhiz** : dude that’s so cool

**geewhiz** : we should get together and do something fucking cool

**geewhiz** : like a haunted house or some shit

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : or we could go to a park at like midnight and get drunk and look like a gang of punk hooligans

**zoid** : frank we are a gang of punk hooligans

**p_wheezie** : man i wanted to dress up and get candy

**p_wheezie** : :(

**geewhiz** : i mean we could always do both: get candy and then get alcohol and then fuck around somewhere we shouldn’t be

**hatrick** : i’m good with this plan

**momfriend** : wait if we’re all getting drunk who the fuck is gonna drive our dumb asses home

**momfriend** : because i know gee’s car can fit most of us but someone’s gotta be not drunk or we’ll all die

**dadtree** : I don’t drink. I could drive people.

**momfriend** : hey dallon

**momfriend** : do u have a car tho

**dadtree** : I don’t have my own car, but I could borrow my parent’s minivan?

**momfriend** : that can probably fit all 12 of us

**zoid** : not legally but who gives a fuck

**momfriend** : yes because fitting 9 people in gee’s car is totally legal

**zoid** : shhhhh we’re small people

**momfriend** : ok tru

**hatrick** : cool now i just have to convince my mom to let me stay out on a school night

**geewhiz** : oh fuck halloween’s a monday

**geewhiz** : mikey we’re gonna have to go to school hungover we’re gonna die

**mieky** : whoo hoo

**geewhiz** : why r u not more concerned

**mieky** : um because we’re probably gonna tell mom and dad we’re spending the night with ray (and then we probably will) so mom and dad won’t even know we got drunk

**geewhiz** : yes but do u really want to go to school hungover

**mieky** : i mean no but like… halloween. who the fuck isn’t going to be a little hungover

**zoid** : boring people

**p_wheezie** : yeah fuck those boring people

 

“Mikey, honey, you need to start cleaning up your room.” Mikey’s mom said, startling them enough that they almost dropped their phone. She was standing in the doorway, and shook her head at them. “I know you don’t like cleaning up, but this is for your grandmother. You wouldn’t want her to move into a messy room, would you?”

 

“No, mom, sorry.” Mikey said. “I was just answering some questions Frank had about algebra.”

 

“Frank, that’s the one you’re helping to tutor while Gerard’s in philosophy club?” She asked. Mikey nodded, remembering that that was the lie Gee had gone with to convince xer mom to let xem and Mikey be in GSA. It worked, because it lined up with Frank’s lie to his mom, and Ray’s mom wasn’t too worried about what her kids got up to after school so long as it wasn’t illegal. Mikey pocketed their phone. “Yeah, that’s Frank.”

 

“Well, I hope he isn’t too bad of an influence on you.” She said, frowning a little. “I heard that he started that fight yesterday. I don’t want you getting into trouble over a guy, Mikey.”

 

“Mom, me and Frank aren’t like that.” Mikey stuttered out. “We’re just friends, and I help him out in math because I already know most of it from Gee and Ray and Lindsey. I don’t like him.”

 

“Alright, Mikey. But, it’s okay if you do.” She said, coming into Mikey’s room and toeing her way through all their clothes on the floor to come sit on the edge of Mikey’s bed. She placed her hands on her knees and faced Mikey, her expression serious. “I know you’re young for your grade, so all this hormonal nonsense might feel a bit weird, but it’s perfectly okay to get feelings for boys. You’re getting to the age where you’re going to stop seeing people like Ray as a friend or an older brother figure and start seeing them as cute. And that’s perfectly okay, Mikey, but you shouldn’t let them pressure you into sex.”

 

“ _ Mom _ !” Mikey said, louder than they had meant to. They could feel their face heating up, because this was not the conversation they were expecting to have with their mom, and besides, they already knew about sex. Gee, Lindsey and Ray were older than Mikey, and it wasn’t like they’d made Mikey leave the room whenever they started talking about that kind of stuff. Mikey’d also already given a blowjob. They knew what they were doing. 

 

“Mikey, I’m just trying to prepare you.” She said. “I don’t know what Gerard’s told you, or if he’s told you anything, but you should take his advice with a grain of salt. He’s only sixteen, even though I know he seems a lot older to you.”

 

“Mom, I appreciate the sentiment, but this is a really weird conversation to have.” Mikey said. “If I promise to clean my room, will you stop talking to me about this?”

 

“Alright.” She said, and stood up. She pointed a finger at him, in that weird motherly attempt to be playful. “But you better clean your room.”

 

“Okay, mom.” Mikey said, and then, thankfully, she left. Mikey picked up a few pairs of pants from the floor, sniffed them, and then tossed them into the pile by their door that was the designated “needs to be washed” pile. They stared at the pile, which was pretty tall now, and figured they’d need to bring it downstairs to get washed. That would mean leaving their room, though, and Mikey didn’t feel up to leaving their bed, let alone their room. They let out a sigh.

 

**mieky** : @ my mom why do i need to clean my room it’s too much #effort

**p_wheezie** : don’t do it

**p_wheezie** : come hang out at my house instead

**mieky** : how

**mieky** : i’m 14 i can’t drive

**mieky** : also i’m p sure there’s a highway between ur house and mine so i’m not walking there 

**p_wheezie** : i’ll come kidnap u

**geewhiz** : pete don’t kidnap my sibling; mikey i’ll help u clean ur room if u’ll go to the gas station with me to get more cigarettes i have money for them now

**mieky** : sure

**p_wheezie** : do u guys ever talk to each other in person or do you just text in the group chat

**momfriend** : this is normal for them esp when they’re both at home

**mieky** : it’s because most of what we talk about here is not parent approved

**geewhiz** : yeah i’m pretty sure my parents would kill me if they knew i smoked

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : hey if you guys are doing a smoke run can u pick me up? i can lie to my mom and say we’re going somewhere else if i need to

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i just need a second pack because i think my mom knows where i’m hiding my current one

**dadtree** : How are all of you so sneaky?

**mieky** : years of helicopter parents + being gay

**dadtree** : I get that, but how do you get away with all of this? I tried sneaking a Dr. Pepper into my room once and my parents found out and kept me from leaving the house for a month.

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ok first of all that sucks second u never do anything illegal at home

**dadtree** : Having a Dr. Pepper isn’t illegal.

**mieky** : r ur parents okay with it?

**dadtree** : No.

**mieky** : then it’s illegal for /u/

**mieky** : welcome to the wonderful world of Protective Parenting

 

“Mikey, make sure you bring your dirty clothes downstairs so I can start the laundry!” Their mom called up. Mikey let out a sigh and then yelled out, “okay mom!” before getting out of bed and grabbing their pile of clothes by the door. They didn’t have the energy to clean their room and get ready to move in with Gee, but they knew that the only way to get their parents off their back was to make progress. So, they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	20. bass fuckers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm about to start my mini fall break, which means I'll have nothing to do except write and practice bass. So, hopefully I'll update all my fics this week (maybe)!

- **p_wheezie** created the group  **bass fuckers** -

 

- **p_wheezie** added  **mieky** ,  **zoid** , and  **dadtree** to  **bass fuckers** -

 

**p_wheezie** : yo what day r u guys free to come over and fuck a bass with me

**p_wheezie** : we’re not actually gonna fuck basses tho just play them

**zoid** : i’m good for whenever

**mieky** : i have detention on friday but after it lets out i’m free

**p_wheezie** : cool

**p_wheezie** : dallon are u alive

**mieky** : it’s the middle of class so they probably aren’t checking their phone but i have next period with them so i can ask

**p_wheezie** : ok cool thanks mikey

**zoid** : should i bring my bass to the bass fucking orgy

**p_wheezie** : yes. because i don’t think that 4 people can play one bass and not kill each other

 

Mikey put their phone down and instead focused on what Mr. James was talking about, because they probably needed to pay more attention in this class if they were going to pass themselves off as Frank’s math tutor. Frank didn’t get called on, and neither did Mikey (thankfully), so they were able to take notes and realise they already knew what was going on in relative peace. When the bell rang, they gathered their things and headed to drama, listening to music on the way there. 

 

Mikey and Gee both listened to music wherever they walked, because the both of them didn’t like going anywhere in silence. For Mikey, at least, the music was a bubble, separating them from the stares of their peers, making them less aware of the people who could be watching them. It wasn’t the most perfect plan, but it was good enough to keep Mikey calm whenever they didn’t have Frank or Pete to walk them to their next class. 

 

They found their usual seat in the back row of drama, and waited for Dallon and Spencer (and potentially Brendon) to come join them. Once all three of them were settled in beside Mikey, Mikey pulled out a paper and wrote down the details they had for the bass thing that Pete was trying to do. They passed the note to Dallon, who scribbled something back and handed the paper to Mikey again. 

 

_ I’m available Friday. Also, this is unrelated but Bren is now using ze/zer/zirs pronouns. Sorry if they’re a little odd; ze said as long as you’re trying ze won’t care too much. Also that they/them are acceptable but not preferred. _

 

Mikey wrote back:  _ It won’t be a problem. Gee uses neo-pronouns so I’m used to it.  _

 

Ms. Jones (or Veronica, as Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon called her) came in, holding a highlighter pink clipboard and a matching feathered pen in her hands. She looked everyone up and down, standing at the front of the room with a hip cocked and a freshly trimmed eyebrow arched impatiently. She gave the class a minute before she cleared her throat and got their attention. She pushed her glasses up her nose with the end of her pen. “Welcome, my actors and actresses, to what has lovingly been called the Hunger Games by previous classes, but is truly only a test of skill and adaptability.”

 

Mikey had no idea what was going on, but they were afraid. They dared a glance at their three friends, and all of them were watching Ms. Jones excitedly. That didn’t alleviate Mikey’s fear. 

 

“As of today, we will begin going over the script for our version of Anything Goes.” Ms. Jones said. “Laura Jane, our assistant this year from the local community arts school, has edited the script to make it acceptable and appropriate for a crowd of teenagers. Laura Jane, a script, please.”

 

A girl with long, wavy brown hair stood up from the front row and walked over to Ms. Jones. She was wearing jeans and a plain black t-shirt, with tattoos already covering her arms. She stayed up there, beside Ms. Jones, with one hand in her pocket and the other by her side. She waved. “Hey, I’m Laura Jane Grace, but you can just call me Laura. I’m gonna be helping with a lot of the backstage stuff, so you’ll be seeing me around a lot.”

 

Mikey stared at her. Maybe it was years of being around Gee and knowing a bunch of stuff about the trans community, but they knew. She was a trans woman, and Mikey immediately felt drawn to her. Fuck being in the musical; Mikey was going to be a stage hand and adopt themselves as Laura’s younger sibling, assuming she was cool with that. They nudged Dallon, scribbling down  _ she’s trans _ onto their paper and sliding it over. 

 

_ How can you tell? _ Dallon wrote back. 

 

_ I just know. It’s like gaydar, but with trans stuff. I got it from Gee, probably. _ Mikey said. Dallon nodded, and then focused back on what Ms. Jones and Laura were actually talking about. Ms. Jones had Laura’s script in hand and was flipping through it as she spoke. “We have enough scripts right now for all of you, but no extras, so make sure to not misplace yours, because you won’t be able to get another copy.

 

“We’ll begin read-throughs tomorrow, to give everyone time to go home and look over the script to see any and all adaptations that have been made to the original content. While you are looking over the script tonight, I would like you to consider which parts you wish to play, but to not settle on only one. Just because you see yourself in a certain role, does not mean that that is where you belong.” Ms. Jones said, and Mikey was pretty sure that in another life she would have been one of those motivational speakers on YouTube. “Also, for those of you who signed up for this class thinking it would be easy and that you wouldn’t have to put forth effort, I’m sorry but that is not the case here. Do not give up on an acting role and think that you belong behind the curtain or in the ensemble just because you have no work ethic or are shy. Believe me, those two excuses count for nothing in theatre.”

 

“The opposite is also true,” Laura added. “If you think you’re gonna get a lead role just because you’re the talkative kid in the front row of each class, you might be wrong. This class isn’t a popularity contest, or a who can hit the highest notes contest. It’s about who Veronica thinks is meant to play each role--big, small, or unseen.”

 

“Theatre is serious.” Ms. Jones said, nodding sagely. “I hope you take it seriously, and that you learn to love the art within.”

 

She turned and reached around behind her desk, pulling out a thick stack of papers. She set them on the side arm desk in the front row. “Now, these are the scripts. Everyone, please come down in an orderly fashion and collect your copy.”

 

Mikey had to physically block their friends from jumping over them (and everyone else) to go down and get first in line. Brendon looked especially pissed when Mikey held out their arms to keep zer from getting out. “Mikey, come on, no one actually waits for their turn.”

 

“Yeah but I don’t want to get trampled.” Mikey said. “Also, I’m a little claustrophobic.”

 

“We can get you a script.” Spencer said, pushing Brendon forward and into Mikey’s arms. Dallon rested their head on Spencer’s shoulder and gave Mikey a pout that was more funny than convincing. “Please, Mikey. We promise not to get you a wrinkled script.”

 

Mikey let out a sigh and dropped their arms. “Fine. You weirdos.”

 

“You think we’re cool.” Brendon said, ruffling Mikey’s hair as ze passed them. Mikey shoved at zer, and ze stuck out zer tongue before strutting (literally, it looked like something straight off a catwalk) down to the front of the classroom with Dallon and Spencer following behind zer like two stylish bodyguards. Ze even pushed through the crowd, pulling Dallon and Spencer in with zer, and pushed back out with two scripts in hand, one of which ze waved at Mikey. “Here you go, your majesty, since you can’t get it yourself.”

 

Mikey grabbed it. “I have social anxiety.”

 

Brendon’s expression dropped. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry. I had no idea, I thought you were just being a dramatic little shit I didn’t know it was like an actual thing-thing--”

 

“It’s cool.” Mikey waved it off, because they hadn’t expected Brendon to react so seriously. Yes, Mikey had social anxiety and was bad at dealing with people, but no, they didn’t need pity or whatever. Their issues were… survivable, and their coping mechanisms worked for now so there wasn’t really a problem. They pushed their glasses up their nose with their script. “Thanks for getting me a copy, though.”

 

“Yeah, no problem.” Brendon said, and got back into zer seat. Dallon and Spencer followed, and even though Ms. Jones and Laura kept talking and answering questions about the musical for the rest of the class period, all three of them (excluding Mikey) had their heads in the script, reading over the parts. Mikey figured that they were just hardcore drama nerds and probably over-achievers. Mikey was cool with that; they’d just read the script over when they got home, since they wouldn’t have any other homework. 

 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and once the final bell rang, Mikey headed up to Mr. Armstrong’s classroom for the weekly GSA meeting. They were one of the first ones there, along with Gee and Frank, but before they could even say hi to Gee, Frank pulled them over to ask them about math stuff. Mikey pulled out their notes. “Your mom must think I’m some kind of super genius or something.”

 

“Are you saying I’m stupid?” Frank asked. Mikey shook their head. “No, I just don’t know why she’s obsessed with you getting a perfect grade in math. It’s really not that important.”

 

“Mikey, I’m not supposed to be in this school.” Frank said. Mikey raised an eyebrow, and Frank let out a sigh. “You know how I said I used to go to Catholic school and then got kicked out? That was only half true. I got kicked out last March, at the end of eighth grade, and my mom just homeschooled me after that so I wouldn’t have to go to a brand new school for two months. And then she convinced this county’s school board or whoever to let me go to high school here because most of the assholes from my Catholic school were gonna go to the high school in the county I live in. And the school board people were like, ‘yeah, sure, but only if he proves himself as exceptionally gifted.’ So basically, I have to be smart or I’ll have to transfer schools again and me and my mom both don’t want that to happen.”

 

“Oh.” Mikey said. They explained a few more problems to Frank and then remembered that both themselves and Frank had detention that Friday. Mikey dropped their pencil. “Wait, so you can’t get a B in math but you can get in fights?”

 

“It gets written off as anger issues or something.” Frank said. “I’m supposed to be going to counseling but my mom never set anything up.”

 

“Right.” Mikey said. 

 

By two thirty, everyone who usually showed up had showed up and Frank and Mikey had to put their math away. They all circled up, with Mr. Armstrong at the front and Mikey between him and Ray. Mr. Armstrong had a few papers in his hands. “Alright, so because of some of the things that have been happening recently, I got an email from the administrators to talk to you all. The gist of the email was that bullying and violence won’t be tolerated, blah blah blah, and that if someone is mean to you you should go to me or an administrator and report them, but I’m going to tell you guys that that’s all a bunch of bullshit. I’ve been here for six years, and I have yet to even hear about a student being suspended for homophobic behaviour. I have, of course, heard about people being taken out of class, suspended, or even asked to leave because of their sexual orientation or how they present their gender. So, instead of reading an email full of bureaucratic bull, I’m going to say this: fight those fuckers, just do it off of school property so you can’t get in trouble.”

 

Frank stared at him like he was literally the second coming of Christ. “Wait, seriously?”

 

“Yes.” Mr. Armstrong said. “No one should have to suffer for who they are, and school administrators aren’t going to do shit because they’ve never done shit.”

 

“Cool, I’m gonna fight every homophobe in the Huck’s gas station after school tomorrow.” Frank said, and kicked his leg out in Gee’s general direction. “Gee, drive me there, I don’t want to walk.”

 

“No.” Gee said.

 

“Frank, don’t fight everyone.” Mr. Armstrong said, but it sounded more like he was trying to be a responsible adult and that he secretly supported Frank starting a fight club in the Huck’s parking lot. “Don’t put yourselves in danger, but definitely fight back if you can. The whole ignore them and they’ll leave you alone mantra is a lie. They’ll probably come after you no matter what, but they might hesitate if you give them a black eye first.”

 

“Okay, so no fighting everyone.” Frank said, and nodded. Spencer raised his hand, and Dallon face-palmed. “Wait, so if someone calls me and my friends the f word, can I run them over?”

 

“No, because that’s manslaughter and you’ll go to jail.” Mr. Armstrong said. It sounded like it wasn’t the first time he had to tell someone not to murder people, which was funny enough that Mikey decided to ignore how serious Spencer had seemed about theoretically going back in time and running into that truck full of dicks. Not literal dicks, just people who were more dick that human. 

 

Spencer nodded. Ray shot Mikey a glance, and the nodded, letting her know that she could start the meeting however she wanted to because she seemed to know what she was doing better than Mikey did. Ray crossed her legs at the ankle and addressed everyone. “Okay, so. I know most of you probably won’t be going to homecoming because, well, it’s homecoming and it’s in a gym and literally no one cares, but we’re gonna talk about it anyway. Because Gee asked and I couldn’t think of anything better to talk about.”

 

“Can we have our own gay homecoming?” Brendon suggested. “No queens, no kings, just a bunch of gay kids dressing up however they want and having a good time.”

 

“Okay, that’s one option.” Ray said. “Anyone else want to do something different?”

 

“Do we even need a homecoming?” Andy asked. Ray shrugged. “I mean, no, but it could be fun to be ourselves. My mom would probably let me have the basement. I could get one of my brothers to be the DJ.”

 

“Are we gonna go out to a fancy restaurant and take pictures beforehand and pretend we’re going to the school’s homecoming or are we going to say fuck that and just do whatever?” Joe asked. Ray looked around. “What does everyone else want? And do we want to tell other people about this or keep it to ourselves?”

 

“Let’s keep it a GSA thing.” Patrick said. “I don’t want a bunch of straight people to show up and ruin it.”

 

“That sounds good in theory, but what if someone is closeted and wants to be themselves at homecoming or bring their same gender partner with them?” Gee asked. “I’m all for keeping out the straights because they already have their homecoming, but how private do we want to be?”

 

“We can make a Facebook page for the GSA and make gay homecoming an event on the page? And just not private it?” Patrick suggested. “Pete can be the admin, since they’re probably the most popular person in our friend group.”

 

“I’m not the most popular person here, man, I just have the most friends on Facebook and I’m not friends with my parents.” Pete said, and poked Patrick’s cheek. “Unlike you. You’re friends with your own grandparents.”

 

“I can’t just unfriend them, they’d tell my dad and be all sad and old and shit.” Patrick said, letting Pete continue to poke his face. “But seriously, we should have a GSA Facebook page. Even if we don’t use it for anything else, at least we’ll have tried to do the social media thing.”

 

“Alright.” Ray said. “Pete, you’re in charge of the GSA Facebook page. I’ll give you my Facebook name and you can add me as a co-admin because I don’t actually trust you to be in charge of anything important. And I’ll talk to my mom about letting us have the basement or the garage or whatever for gay homecoming.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	21. The Bass Player's Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first meeting of the bassists, at Pete's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've already written up to Halloween in this fic... happy spooky season guys!

Detention turned out to be really boring. Mikey and the other ten people there weren’t allowed to talk, and they had to put all their electronics in the front of the room. They were supposed to only be working on homework, but Gee had written down a few storylines for xer and Mikey’s characters and had given them to Mikey to look over. Gee wanted to go into comics, and Mikey supported xem because they couldn’t draw for shit but they could create shit and they figured that Gee--if xe ever got big in the comics industry--would let Mikey co-write something in the future. 

 

After two hours, everyone was let out and herded to the front of the school. Mikey sent a message to the bass fuckers group chat, saying that they were done with detention and that whoever was going to come pick them up should come do so now. 

 

About ten minutes later, a car pulled up and the passenger window rolled down. Pete leaned out of the car, waving at Mikey. “Mikey, quick, get in the van!”

 

Mikey grabbed their backpack and got into the backseat, introducing themselves to Pete’s mom while she drove them back to the Wentz’s house. Lindsey and Dallon were already in the Wentz’s living room when Mikey arrived, and the two of them looked relieved to no longer be alone in a house that wasn’t theirs. 

 

Ms. Wentz stood in the doorway. “Pete, where are you and your friends planning to hang out? I’ve got company coming over for dinner tonight, and I’m going to need the living room for drinks.”

 

“Uh, we’ll probably be in my room. That’s where my amp and bass are anyway.” Pete said. Lindsey had her bass in her hands, and tightened her grip on the neck. Bert McCracken, the bass and not the guy Gee had had a crush on years before, was a pretty cool bass, complete with a bunch of tacky fourth of July firecracker stickers that Gee and Ray had bought because Walgreens was having a sale and neither of them knew how to properly spend money. Mikey’s guitar, which was sitting in it’s case in the back of Mikey’s closet, sad and a little forgotten, was covered in animal stickers, also from the same trip. 

 

Ms. Wentz frowned. “Pete, if you’re going to have girls in your room, you need to keep your door open. And, try to be quiet while you’re up there, especially once the guests get here.”

 

“Sure thing, mom.” Pete said, hopping up. They turned to Mikey, Dallon, and Lindsey. “I'll show you guys to my room and then we can start this whole bass club thing.”

 

The four headed up the stairs, Lindsey still holding onto Bert McCracken by its neck. Pete’s bedroom was at the end of the hallway, tucked back in a corner of the house. There was an office on the other side of the hall, with a bathroom in between the two rooms. Pete let everyone in in front of them, and then kept the door halfway open. “Sorry about my mom. She’s one of those weird cishet people who thinks that if a girl and a guy are in a room together someone’ll end up pregnant. She also has no idea about non binary identities and I’m not gonna tell her because I don’t even have a name for what I am.”

 

They crossed over to where there was an amp and a bass guitar leaned up against the window, which was low to the ground. There were band and comic posters covering the wall, as well as a hole in the wall that looked like someone had punched it at some point. The dresser was covered in various photographs, some of which were taped to the mirror itself and others that were pinned directly to the wall beside the mirror. There were also about seventeen different eyeliner pencils on the dresser, as well as an empty box of pink hair dye and the instructions for it (which was smeared with dye and eyeliner shavings). 

 

“Right, so, I don’t really know what I’m doing bass wise, but I figured someone here might know what to do?” Pete said, sitting down beside their bass and plucking half-heartedly at one of the strings. 

 

“I kind of know.” Lindsey said. “I used to be in a band, kind of, and I taught myself a few songs after.”

 

“So, you’ll teach us?” Pete asked. Lindsey shrugged. “I’ll try.”

 

She did try, but after about an hour or so of them passing the basses around and breaking a bunch of picks because apparently all of Pete’s picks were just old guitar picks they’d stolen from Patrick, they gave up. None of them could drive except Lindsey, and she didn't have a car because her mom was at work. They couldn't really leave the house to go do anything, which sucked because Pete's room was boring after about twenty minutes and the wifi signal was horrible. 

 

“Hey, you guys wanna go do something fun?” Pete asked from where they were laying across their bend, their feet dangling off one edge and their head dangling off the other. Mikey glanced over at Lindsey, who was sitting on the amp and attempting to play Pete’s bass with her fingers, and then at Dallon, who was sitting on a ripped open beanbag that was half covered in jeans. Dallon shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

 

“Okay, cool, we’re gonna go to the river then.” Pete sat up. Mikey frowned. “What exactly are we going to do at the river, though? Because I’m not swimming. It’s too fucking cold for that.”

 

“It’s the end of September, it’s not that cold.” Pete said, but Lindsey and Dallon both sided with Mikey. Pete folded their arms over their chest. “Fine, no swimming. But we can just go, and maybe get some weed on the way because one of the soccer guys lives on the way to the river, so we could get stoned and Dallon could be the responsible adult and keep me, you, and Lindsey from drowning or something.”

 

“That works.” Lindsey said. “You do know how to get to the river from your house, right?”

 

“Yeah. It’s kind of a long walk, but it’s fun and we get to sneak through people’s backyards.” Pete said, grinning. Mikey couldn’t believe they were agreeing to this. On one hand, they were always down for vaguely illegal activities with friends, but on the other hand, they didn’t like doing the illegal activities outside, especially if they involved a lot of walking around. 

 

They headed out through the back door, Pete calling out to their mom to let her know that they were going out. Mikey didn’t even hear Pete’s mom respond before the back door was slamming shut behind Pete and they were leading everyone to the river. 

 

Mikey, of course, had been to the river before, but usually it was while they were hanging out at Lindsey’s house and it usually involved someone driving them there. They had no idea that there was a way to walk there, or that it would take almost an hour, including the fifteen minute stop at Pete’s soccer friend’s house to buy some weed off of the guy. Pete held onto the weed, holding it in their back pocket even though they were wearing skinny jeans and Mikey was wearing cargo pants. Not shorts, because Mikey never wore shorts even if it was July and they were dying. 

 

They eventually got to the river, and settled down on the rocks. There wasn’t much of a shore, just a patch of mud and rocks where the grass ended and the water started. Pete started rolling up joints, but they turned out to be really bad at it, so Lindsey did the rolling because she knew what she was doing. Dallon just sat on the other side of Mikey and watched Lindsey roll the joints up with mild curiousity. Mikey raised an eyebrow. “You know you can still be Mormon and not follow all the rules, right? Like, me and Gee are Catholic but we still do gay shit and have had sex before marriage. Doing bad stuff doesn’t make you a shitty person.”

 

“It kind of does, though.” Pete said, stealing the joint from Lindsey before she could smoke it. She swatted at their hand, but didn’t grab it back and let Pete light it and take the first drag. They passed it back to her, and then she passed it to Mikey. Mikey stared at the blunt. “You got lipstick on it.”

 

“Okay, and?” Lindsey said. “Since when did you care about that kind of stuff?”

 

“I don’t.” Mikey said, because they didn’t, they were just annoyed (maybe) that Lindsey’s lipstick was now on the joint and that was just kind of weird. They took their drag and and almost handed the joint to Dallon before remembering that Dallon was being the responsible friend who didn’t smoke. They leaned across Lindsey and handed the joint to Pete again. 

 

The three of them passed the joint around until there was nothing left, tossing rocks into the river with Dallon and talking shit about random people at school in between turns. Lindsey rolled a few more joints, both of which were passed around, and by then Mikey was feeling really stoned and calm, which was nice because they were often just a small pile of nervousness. 

 

“Right, so, what if we went swimming?” Pete said, laying on the shore of the river, their shoes off and their feet already somewhat in the water. Dallon raised their eyebrows. “You would probably drown, a little, and I’d let you because you’re an idiot.”

 

“Don’t let Pete drown I like them.” Mikey said. Pete grinned up at Mikey. “Thanks, Mikeyway. You’re the coolest. Sweetest little dude.”

 

“I thought you smoked a lot.” Lindsey said, kicking her feet in the general direction of Pete, but not getting anywhere near their face. “Because you’re acting really stoned right now, and I’m ready to call bullshit. And a dollar in the jar, for lying to us all.”

 

“You can’t do that.” Mikey said. “Right Dallon?”

 

“Yeah, lying doesn’t constitute putting a dollar in the sin jar. It is a sin jar, right? Because it sounds like it’s supposed to be a sin jar, and if it’s not, I’m gonna rename it the sin jar when I get it.” Dallon said. Lindsey scoffed. “You’re not getting it, because I don’t sin. And besides, the only way to get the sin jar from it’s current owner is to call them out on their mistake first.”

 

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re in both bass club and GSA together, then, isn’t it?” Dallon said. “That sin jar is mine, Lindsey.”

 

“What if Dallon got stoned from us being stoned?” Pete said, and pulled their shirt over their head. “Also, I’m going in the river. You nerds can come with me if you want.”

 

“Don’t drown.” Lindsey said. Pete gave her a thumbs up, took off their pants, and ran in. The let out a scream, exclaiming that the water was “fucking cold!” but ducked under the water anyway. Mikey decided that Pete was fucking weird, but that they liked them anyway. 

 

The sun had nearly set by the time they were all sober enough to walk back to Pete’s house. Mikey texted Gee once they got there, and then asked Dallon if they needed a ride home or not. Dallon accepted the invitation, and then told Mikey (and Lindsey and Pete, since they were all three back up in Pete’s room) that they should probably spray themselves with something because they smelled like weed. Pete disappeared into the hallway and then reappeared with a bottle of Febreeze a second later, handing it to Mikey. “My mom knows I smoke, and she hates it but she also doesn’t do anything about it, but if you guys need to cover up the smell, go ahead.”

 

“Thanks Pete.” Mikey said, and started spraying themselves. Lindsey sprayed herself down as well, and Dallon sprayed themselves a little just in case the smell had gotten on their shirt. By that time, Gee was at Pete’s house, xer car sitting in the driveway, xer music turned down because xe didn’t know what kind of parent Pete’s mom was and xe knew better than to just play xer music around adults. 

 

Pete waved goodbye to the three of them, and kept waving until Mikey was in the front seat and Gee was backing out of the driveway. Dallon directed Gee to their house, which was up near that place that hosted school dances. It was a newer neighbourhood, and there were still a lot of empty lots behind Dallon’s house. 

 

Lindsey texted her mom, asking if it was okay for her to spend the night at the Way’s house (because she did that a lot), and Mikey texted their parents asking if Lindsey could just stay there for the night because their thing with Pete had lasted a lot longer than expected and it was just easier to bring Lindsey back with them. Mikey’s parents agreed, their mom saying that she’d pull out the extra blankets for Lindsey to sleep on the couch because she, Gee, and Mikey were too old to be sleeping in the same room anymore. Mikey didn’t mention that Gee and Lindsey had already slept (in a sexual and platonic way) in the same room before and that it wasn’t a big deal. They knew better. Their parents would just freak out about teenage pregnancy and all that shit that Mikey didn’t understand.

 

“So, how much do you wanna bet that mom and dad are going to make us and Lindsey have dinner with them?” Gee asked as xe turned onto the street that they lived on. Mikey shrugged. “They probably will. But, hey, at least your girlfriend’s sleeping over.”

 

“Yeah, on the couch.” Lindsey said from the back. Gee raised xer eyebrow. “Like you’re not gonna sneak downstairs as soon as everyone’s asleep.”

 

“Okay, true.” Lindsey said. Mikey face-palmed. “You two are ridiculous.”

 

“Get used to it, Mikes, because we’re not stopping.” Gee said. Mikey let out an over-dramatic sigh. “Oh no. Too much gayness. I’m going to die.”

 

“You’ll be fine.” Lindsey said. “Just don’t come down to the basement to hang out with Gee tonight, buddy.”

 

“Oh my God.” Both Way siblings said at the same time. Lindsey laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	22. everyone hates pete wentz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So many things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "AHHHHHHHH AHHHHHH I come from tha land of the ice and snow with the midnight sun where the hotsprings glow  
> HAMMER OF THE GODS will drive our ships to new lands"   
> -my girlfriend did this, she's in charge of author's notes now

Mikey officially moved down to Gee’s room the first weekend of October. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but then Mikey remembered why their parents had banned the two from having “sleepovers” in each other’s rooms when they were kids. Gee and Mikey would keep each other up, and the other would let it happen. 

 

It was three weeks before Halloween, aka Frank’s drunken birthday bash thing, and Mikey was almost falling asleep in drama class. Of all the classes they were taking, drama was the one they should have been least likely to sleep through, partially because they had three over-enthusiastic friends who would keep them awake, and partially because Laura was still there and she was getting cooler and cooler every day. 

 

Mikey made it through the class period without falling asleep, thankfully, and decided that they were going to actually introduce themselves to Laura and let her know that she was cool. 

 

They stood a few feet away from her until she was done talking to Ms. Jones, and then they stood there for a little longer because they weren’t sure what to say. In the end, it was Laura who came over to Mikey and said, “hey, what’s up?”

 

“You’re cool.” Mikey blurted out. “I mean. I mean, hi, I’m Mikey. I use they/them pronouns. If I was a girl I’d probably want to be you when I grow up. And your tattoos look cool.”

 

“Thanks.” Laura said, laughing a little. “I use she/her pronouns, and I’m not grown up. I’m just a college girl in a band, trying to make it in the punk scene.”

 

“You have a band?” Mikey asked. “Like, a real band?”

 

“Yeah. We even have shows and everything.” Laura said. “We were going to have one next weekend, but the place cancelled on us because you guys are having your homecoming then and the owners didn’t think anyone would show up.”

 

“Me and my friends are having an alternative homecoming.” Mikey said. They had no idea if they could even do this, but hey, now Ray’s older brother wouldn’t have to DJ for a bunch of weird high school kids. Assuming that Laura and her (probably a lot cooler, and older, and in college) bandmates even wanted to play. Mikey bit at their nail. “I don’t know if we could pay you, but maybe? And also, it would be a gay thing, because like all of my friends are gay and we didn’t want to go to actual homecoming but we didn’t want to stay home alone, you know?”

 

Laura nodded. Mikey continued to bite their fingernail. “It’s okay if you think we’re lame, because we kind of are, but yeah.”

 

“No, actually, that seems pretty cool. And, I’d need the parent’s permission because me and the guys are all adults, but yeah, sure.” Laura shrugged. “It’s not like we’d have made a lot of money at the original gig, anyway. We were doing my drummer’s uncle a favour, and then we weren’t because he changed his mind.”

 

“Oh, cool.” Mikey said. Then, “wait, you’d seriously want to do this?”

 

“I’m all for supporting younger gay kids. I’ve been out as trans and queer for a while, but I remember how shitty high school was.” Laura said. She turned around and grabbed a pen from Ms. Jones’ desk. She grabbed Mikey’s wrist and wrote an email address on their arm:  _ againstmeband@yahoo.com _ . “That’s our band email. Have your friend’s mom or whoever email us and we’ll get the details down.”

 

“Thanks.” Mikey said. Laura pulled out a late pass and signed it. “Also, take this. You’re probably gonna be late.”

 

“Thanks.” Mikey repeated, feeling a little dumb. They took the pass and headed to their next class, pausing in the bathroom to send a message to the group chat.

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **official gay homecoming** -

 

**mieky** : hey ray tell ur brother we don’t need him

**momfriend** : y

**mieky** : the assistant drama person is in a band and cooler than all of us combined

**mieky** : also i asked her to play at our homecoming and she was like sure

**momfriend** : wait seriously

**momfriend** : is she aware that there will be like 12 people there and that we’re all a bunch of gay teenagers

**mieky** : ye

**mieky** : she’s a gay college student so she’s like the adult version of us

**zoid** : do u know what her band is

**zoid** : like does she have a name or anything or are you just blindly trusting that she’s good

**mieky** : the band’s email is againstmeband so that’s probably their name

**zoid** : hold on i’ll google them

 

Mikey pocketed their phone and left the bathroom after that, because they knew that if they didn’t they would probably end up staying there for the rest of fourth period and that would get them in  a lot of trouble. They quickly walked to class, handing their biology teacher the late pass from Laura and then sliding into their chair near the back. 

 

They pulled their phone back out, because biology was boring for the most part and they didn’t need to pay too much attention in that class. 

 

**zoid** : okay so they’re a legit band called against me! (i’m guessing) and i think mikey’s friend/connection is the frontwoman aka laura jane grace

**zoid** : who is a trans activist and trans woman herself

**zoid** : already i love this band and i haven’t listened to anything by them yet because i’m in class and can’t

**zoid** : i’ll listen to them in the hall tho

**morethanafro** : link me to them

**zoid** : no go google them urself fucko

**morethanafro** : don’t call me a fucko

**spooncer** : wait laura jane grace as in drama assistant laura

**spooncer** : @ mikey since when did u get socialising skills

**mieky** : who knows not me

**mieky** : i guess people just trust me because i’m small

**brebdo** : at least u didn’t say smol because that word is the literal worst and i hate it

**brebdo** : i had someone comment that i was their “smol bean queen” on instagram and i blocked them

**spooncer** : we get it bren you’re famous on instagram because you have a nice face 

**brebdo** : ur face is also nice

**spooncer** : u know who has the best face? dallon 

**mieky** : i have the best twitter

**brebdo** : spencer that’s gay

**spooncer** : i know you are but what am i

**zoid** : spencer you owe me at least three dollars for that

**spooncer** : i accept this

**p_wheezie** : we gotta get lindsey to sin she’s had this fucking jar for too long

**zoid** : can’t catch me sin jar thoughts

**mieky** : ...dollar in the jar?

**zoid** : no

**p_wheezie** : ur opinion is invalid everyone else in the chat rn vote: did lindsey sin

**brebdo** : no??

**spooncer** : yes

**spooncer** : do i now only owe 2 dollars?

**mieky** : sorry no that’s not how it works also lindsey the jar is now mine and u owe me a dollar

**zoid** : FUCK

**zoid** : that’s not fair i hate pete wentz

**p_wheezie** : hashtag relatable

 

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **everyone hates pete wentz** -

 

**brebdo** : truuuu

**spooncer** : surely someone loves you pete

 

- **private** message from  **spooncer** -

 

**spooncer** : that was a vague @ u mikey

**mieky** : i’m going to remove you from the main chat u fuck

**mieky** : i don’t have a crush on pete

**spooncer** : lies

**spooncer** : dal said u, pete, and lindsey got stoned and u gave pete all the heart eyes so… u like them

**spooncer** : you’re gay for pete wentz

**mieky** : no

 

- **mieky** removed  **spooncer** from  **everyone hates pete wentz** -

 

**p_wheezie** : ??????

 

**-p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to **who killed spencer smith** -

 

- **brebdo** added  **spooncer** to  **who killed spencer smith** -

 

**brebdo** : welcome back

**spooncer** : thanks

**spooncer** : u can’t escape me mikey

**zoid** : mikey why’d u even remove him spencer has done nothing wrong

**mieky** : inside joke

**mieky** : i was gonna add him back but brendon did it first because #thirsty

**brebdo** : no i’m not

**mieky** : ok

**mieky** : sure jan

**mieky** : that sounds fake but ok

**zoid** : there was a sin in there somewhere i know it

**p_wheezie** : u just want ur jar back

**p_wheezie** : so no there wasn’t a sin

**zoid** : i don’t like u

 

- **zoid** changed the name of the group to  **no one likes pete wentz** -

 

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **no one likes pete wentz except patrick stump** -

 

**p_wheezie** : i mean he’s probably gonna change it as soon as he sees it but i’m trying anyway

**zoid** : good luck i’ll support patrick if he changes the name of the group chat

**spooncer** : i support pete but sure

**brebdo** : i genuinely have no idea what’s happening

**mieky** : same

**mieky** : lets make a chat of our own and not include any of these weirdos and their pete problems

**p_wheezie** : wow mikey i’m offended

**mieky** :  ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**p_wheezie** : D<

**p_wheezie** : wait how do you make the penis emoji again i need to send it to mikey privately

**mieky** : pete that’s gross

**zoid** : yeah pete don’t send nudes

**p_wheezie** : too late

**spooncer** : mikey i’m sorry you have a picture of pete’s emoji dick

**p_wheezie** : i didn’t send it to mikey oh my god!!!!

**p_wheezie** : i sent nudes to someone else let me live we were dating when it happened i’m not a cam girl i swear

**brebdo** : i could be if i wanted to

**brebdo** : i’m pretty enough

**spooncer** : u think ur pretty enough and that’s what matters

**brebdo** : right

**brebdo** : mikey how do you remove someone from a chat i’m kicking spence out again

**spooncer** : wow rude

**mieky** : don’t actually kick spencer out he’s cool (kind of)

**spooncer** : i might just let myself out at this point

**p_wheezie** : yo we’re like the unloved squad

**zoid** : can it really be a squad if it’s only two people

**p_wheezie** : yes

**spooncer** : yes

 

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **the unloved squad** -

 

**mieky** : pete stop changing the name of the group

**p_wheezie** : stop kink shaming me and my life choices

**mieky** : no

**p_wheezie** : i should remove u from the group

**p_wheezie** : hahahaha i have power now

**mieky** : … i’m still here

**p_wheezie** : not 4 long mikeyway

 

- **mieky** has been removed from  **the unloved squad** -

 

Mikey set their phone down and stared at it for a moment. Their kik messages suddenly looked very empty. They let out a small sigh, one that wouldn’t be heard by anyone else in the class, and switched over to their twitter. They might as well update that until someone put them back in the group.

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ so i just got kicked out of the group chat and now i have no way of entertaining myself… q&a? _

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ opinion on marvel vs dc discourse? _

_ i think it’s dumb also both teams are interesting (i’m a comic book nerd) _

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ how’s the gsa going? _

_ it’s p good, we have about 12 members and they’re the same people _

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ opinion on cats? _

_ yes! also i can’t have any bc gee’s allergic ://// _

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ are you and  _ **_@pwheezie_ ** _ dating bc i live 4 ur twitter interactions!! _

_ nope idk if we’re even friends tbh _

 

And that was enough twitter for the day. Mikey sent a snap to Dallon, knowing they wouldn’t see it until the end of class, and then they locked their phone and tried to pay attention for the rest of the class. As soon as class was over, they headed to lunch, turning up their music as loud as they could without feeling self conscious about it. They headed to their usual table, with Frank already there, and slumped down into the seat next to him. Frank raised an eyebrow. “You okay dude?”

 

“Everyone thinks I have a crush on Pete.” Mikey said. Frank frowned. “Do you?”

 

“No! But I can’t say that, because then they just think I do and I’m lying.” Mikey said, pushing their carrots around with their fork. “How do I convince them that I’m not interested in Pete?”

 

“I don’t know.” Frank said. “Are you interested in someone else? Because maybe if you bring the other person up people’ll stop asking you about Pete.”

 

“I do, but she’s an internet crush and she doesn’t really know I exist.” Mikey said. “So, it’s a pointless crush that I don’t have a chance with.”

 

“That sucks.” Frank said, and then Patrick and Pete joined them, followed by Joe and then Andy. Mikey managed to be in the middle, between Frank and Pete, and across from Joe. Pete nudged Mikey’s arm with their elbow. “You’re friends with the Drama trio, right?”

 

“The drama trio?” Mikey asked. Pete nodded, taking a bite of pizza. “Yeah. Brendon and Dallon and Spencer. You’re friends with them, right?”

 

“Pete, no.” Patrick said. Joe put his hand over Patrick’s mouth. “Shh, I want to hear what weird drama Pete has today. Let them speak.”

 

“Thank you, Joe.” Pete said, and turned back to Mikey. They were wearing eyeliner and their eyes were golden. “Right, so, you’re a fetus--”

 

“Mikey’s literally a grade younger than us,” Patrick said. 

 

“--and weren’t here last year but you probably know Ryan Ross anyway.” Pete said. Mikey nodded, because the name Ryan Ross did sound somewhat familiar, especially in the context of Brendon, Spencer, and Dallon. Pete took another bite of pizza, swinging their legs around so that they were completely facing Mikey, while eating pizza and staring them down. “So Brendon and Ryan were a thing for like all of forever--like they started out as one of those lame middle school couples that no one believes in but then they kept going? It was weird. Anyway, so they dated for a while, but then me and Ryan had a thing on the side, Brendon found out about it but instead of, you know, doing the smart thing and just breaking up with him, ze hooked up with  _ both  _ Spencer and Dallon. Not at the same time. And Dallon was, like, already in high school but they were only a freshman so it wasn’t as impressive, but yeah. Anyway, somehow Ryan and Brendon got their shit together, but then Ryan moved to, like, California or somewhere really far away and Brendon broke up with him the day before he left.”

 

“Where are you going with this?” Frank asked, leaning around Mikey and pretending he was less interested than his body language said he was. 

 

“Basically, that the relationships between Brendon, Spencer, Dallon, and the late Ryan Ross--”

 

“He’s not dead.” Patrick said. Pete glared at him. “He is to me.”

 

Patrick stared at Pete. Pete winked. “Not really. Anyway, it’s complicated, and I heard from three different sources--including Ryan Ross’s tumblr account that I found because I’m a sneaky fucker--that he’s coming back over winter break and that he’s already making plans with Brendon to do a thing. Do you have any idea what kind of thing he’s planning to do with Brendon?”

 

“No.” Mikey said. Pete frowned. “What, really? Do you talk to Brendon at all?”

 

“Yeah, but ze’s never mentioned Ryan Ross except for when I first met zer and ze and Dallon were arguing about him or something.” Mikey said. Pete’s face lit up and Mikey felt like they had said the wrong thing, the thing that would fuel Pete’s interest and make them never stop asking Mikey questions. Pete grabbed Mikey’s arm. “What were they arguing about?”

 

“I don’t know.” Mikey lied. Pete stuck out their lower lip, pouting at Mikey. “Please tell me, I promise not to make a big deal about it.”

 

Everyone on the other side of the table said, in almost perfect unison, “don’t tell them anything,” so Mikey didn’t. Pete let go of Mikey. “See if I ever put you back in the group chat.”

 

“I have other friends who’ll add me back in.” Mikey said. They turned to Frank, “can you put me back in the group chat?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Frank said. “After lunch, though.”

 

“Thanks.” Mikey said. They finished lunch, and when the bell rang, Pete walked them to their next class again. Before Mikey could walk into the classroom, Pete reached out and put their hand on Mikey’s arm. “Wait, Mikey.”

 

Mikey turned around. “Yeah?”

 

“I don’t actually hate you, and I’m not mad at you for not telling me everything about the whole Brendon situation--if there even is one. I just like knowing shit about people.” Pete said. They dropped their hand from Mikey’s arm, looking down at Mikey’s hand. “And, also, just in case you weren’t sure for whatever reason, I consider us to be friends. You’re really cool, Mikey. You keep being you.”

 

“Um, thanks?” Mikey said. Pete grinned at them, saluted, and then backed off into the mass of students heading to class. Mikey shook their head, wondering how the fuck they were supposed to interpret what had just happened. They walked into class and took their seat by the back, pulling out their phone to check and see if Frank had put them back in the group chat yet. He had.

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ responded to your tweet: _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : what do u mean “idk if we’re even friends”??? if we tweet each other we’re friends that’s how it works :0 _

 

Mikey smiled at their phone.

 

**_@pwheezie_ ** _ : thanks (also sorry that my followers think we’re dating i don’t know where they get such wild ideas) _

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ responded to your tweet: _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : i’ll be ur waifu _

 

**_@pwheezie_ ** _ : b l o c k e d _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave kudos/a comment if you enjoyed!!


	23. Gay Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gay Homecoming + all the drama you didn't ask for but are getting anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry.

“Are you sure Ray’s mom is okay with this?” Mikey’s mom asked them for probably the twelfth time that night. Gee let out a sigh. “Yes, mom. She’s fine with it. She’s also fine with us all spending the night because she knows us. She’s also fine with it because Ray’s older brother--the one that works at that music place--is DJ-ing so there’s going to be a responsible adult there.”

 

“And who did you say you were picking up?” She asked, reaching out to brush Mikey’s hair out of their face. Mikey and Gee, much like everyone else who would be at Ray’s, were dressed casually, with their chosen outfits in the trunk of Gee’s car so that their parents wouldn’t see. Their mom just thought that Ray was having a casual party, not that she was hosting gay homecoming. 

 

“Lindsey, Pete, and Andy.” Gee said. Xe and Mikey were also going to pick up Frank, because Frank lived downtown and no one else lived nearby him, but their mom didn’t need to know that. Legally, Gee could only fit four other people in xer car, but xe could physically fit more than that, especially when two of those people were small. 

 

Mikey’s mom nodded. “Alright. Text me when you get to Ray’s house, and have his mom text me if anything happens that I need to know about.”

 

“Okay mom.” Gee said. Xe fiddled with xer car keys. “Can me and Mikey go now?”

 

“Yes, of course.” She said, like she hadn’t just been asking Gee a bunch of questions. Gee and Mikey headed to Gee’s car, Mikey in the back seat and directing them to Frank’s address. His house was behind a car repair shop, and Frank was already in a dress shirt and tie when Gee and Mikey pulled up. He jumped in the back seat and looked the Way siblings up and down. “I feel over dressed.”

 

“Me and Gee can’t exactly dress up in front of our parents.” Mikey said. “Our stuff is in the back.”

 

“Right.” Frank said. “I think my mom thinks I’m a lesbian or something.”

 

“Wait until she meets Lindsey, then she’ll know you’re not a real lesbian.” Gee said. Xe frowned. “Mikey, where the fuck am I going?”

 

“Turn left.” Mikey said. They directed Gee to where Andy and Pete lived (apparently the two lived diagonally across the street from each other) and then to Lindsey’s house. Gee knew how to get from Lindsey’s house to Ray’s, because xe’d done it so many times before. The six of them arrived in time to see Ray’s parents and older brother helping Ray finish the setup. Apparently, they were all going to be in the garage, and not the basement, and the garage doors were going to be left open so that the air could be let in. 

 

Ms. Toro was hanging glittery gold streamers from one of the two garage doors when Mikey, Andy, Frank, and Pete climbed out of the back of Gee’s car. Her eyes widened. “Did you all fit back there?”

 

“Yeah,” Pete said, “we’re really small!”

 

“You’re really small.” Andy said. “I’m the perfect size.”

 

“I’m really small!” Pete called out as they ducked in under the streamers. Mikey, carrying their change of clothes, followed, and their eyes widened when they saw all that the Toro’s had done to their garage. Mikey wondered if Ray had told her parents that there would only be about a dozen people there, or if her parents even cared how many people showed up, so long as it made Ray happy. 

 

The Toros were good people. Their daughter was even better. Mikey was really glad that Gee and Ray had been partnered together for that one Vacation Bible School event. 

 

“Oh, Gee, Mikey, there’s a bathroom upstairs if you two are going to change here.” Ms. Toro said. “And for anyone else who needs it, feel free.”

 

“Thanks Ms. Toro.” Gee said. Xe and Mikey headed up to the bathroom to change, Mikey going first because they knew that Gee would take longer, since xe had to put on makeup and everything. They stood outside the bathroom and waited for Gee anyway, because they were trying to be a good sibling and not leave Gee alone. Also, because they weren’t ready to head back downstairs yet. 

 

“Hey, are you waiting in line?” Brendon asked, appearing at the top of the basement stairs with a garment bag in zir hand. Mikey looked up from their phone. “Uh, no. Gee’s in there, I’m just waiting on xem.”

 

“Okay, cool.” Brendon said, and leaned against the wall beside Mikey, tapping zir feet against the floor. Ze turned zir head towards Mikey, and Mikey realised that the two of them were the same height when Brendon wasn’t wearing heels. “Do you know if anyone’s bringing alcohol, or were we supposed to come with our own?”

 

“I think either Joe or Pete was bringing weed, but Pete didn’t say anything about it when we picked them up.” Mikey said. “I don’t know about alcohol but I don’t think Ray’s parents will mind too much if we use some of theirs.”

 

“Cool, because I’m planning to get trashed.” Brendon said. Mikey raised an eyebrow, and Brendon sighed. “Look, I know you’re close to Dallon and all, and have some weird secrecy pact going on, but if I have to watch them and Spencer act all romantic while claiming to not be a thing, I’m going to lose it. Besides, I’d be getting drunk at regular homecoming anyway. Now I just have a better excuse than ‘oh, everyone else is doing it’.”

 

“Wait, so do you even like Dallon?” Mikey asked, which was a bad thing to ask, because they didn’t really want to be involved with the whole Dallon/Brendon/Spencer clusterfuck, but they were kind of stuck there anyway so they figured they might as well submit to the drama. 

 

“Honestly, I don’t know anymore.” Brendon said, rolling zir eyes. “I just know that I’m jealous of at least one of them, and usually I’d just deal with it by hooking up with someone else, but no one at school is appealing anymore and Pete’s… well, you know.”

 

“Not available.” Mikey said. Brendon nodded. “Yeah, and I’m not that much of an asshole. If they’re not looking for no strings attached I’m not going to try and make them.”

 

The bathroom door opened, and Gee came out, looking more put together than usual. Xe stared Brendon down for a moment before saying to Mikey. “I’m gonna go back down and hang out with Lindsey. You can come down if you want, or you can stay up here. It’s whatever.”

 

“I’ll come down.” Mikey said. They had no reason to stay upstairs now that Gee was finished. As they headed for the stairwell, Brendon said, “hey, Mikey, before you do anything too stupid, you should know that a lot of the shit happening now is because of Pete. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but just. Just keep in mind that they’re impulsive and will probably hurt you at some point.”

 

“I’m not going to do anything with Pete.” Mikey said, “but thanks for the warning.”

 

“No problem.” Brendon said, and disappeared into the bathroom. Gee gave Mikey a concerned look, but Mikey shut down any thoughts xe might have had by repeating that they weren’t interested in Pete and that Brendon was probably trying to create drama that didn’t involve zer. Gee seemed to believe it, which was good because that was the truth and that was all Mikey had to offer. 

 

By the time they got back down there, Laura Jane Grace and her three other band members were there, and Laura was talking to Mr. Toro about where to set everything up. Mikey poked Gee’s arm. “That’s the band.”

 

“They all look a lot cooler than us.” Gee said. “Also I feel dumb.”

 

“Same.” Mikey said. They bit at their fingernail. “We should probably go up and say hi. Since, you know, I kind of invited them to play for us.”

 

“Right.” Gee said, and followed Mikey over. Laura looked up as the two siblings approached. “Hey, Mikey. What’s up?”

 

“Um, hi, this is Gee, my older sibling.” Mikey said, telling Laura Gee’s pronouns as well. Gee, because xe was actually a complete dork, stuck xer hand out for Laura to shake. She did, thankfully, and Mikey had never felt so relieved at the expense of their own sibling. Gee was looking up at Laura like she was the coolest person ever, which, same, because she kind of was. She was trans, she was out as trans, she was in a band with actual demos out and actual shows and everything. 

 

Laura turned to Mikey. “So, you have any idea how many people are going to show up? I know you said it’d probably be small, I just wanna know how small.”

 

“Um, there are twelve people in GSA?” Mikey said, immediately feeling like this whole thing was a bad idea. “And Pete--they’re the one with the pink hair--made a Facebook page, so probably a few more than that. Sorry.”

 

“Nah, it’s cool. I’m just psyched that we’re gonna be playing for a mostly LGBT audience.” Laura said. “A lot of the people who see us are gay or whatever, but there are still a bunch of straight people who come because we’re a punk band and they’re in the scene. They don’t really care about the music that much, just the whole, like, aura or whatever.”

 

“So you’re an actual gay punk band?” Gee said, and Mikey excused themselves to go find Dallon and Spencer because they knew when Gee was hyper-interested in something. Xe’d listen--and talk--to Laura about gay shit for hours if xe was allowed. On one hand, Mikey cared about that stuff, but on the other hand, Gee never fucking shut up about it. Ever. 

 

So they went and found Spencer and Dallon, who were hanging out with Brendon and Patrick near the table of drinks. There was a bowl of punch, which had a sticky note taped to it saying  _ Joe spiked this -Patrick _ and then a winking face which Mikey guessed was from Joe. The five of them talked about various things until Laura and her band started playing. Mikey learned that, even though he had no real interest in musicals, Patrick was an avid musician and singer and had plans to get into the drama department’s chorus and maybe show up as a supporting cast member in Anything Goes. He also mentioned that Pete was trying to get in, even though Pete couldn’t sing to save their life, and Brendon started laughing really loudly at that. 

 

As the music started, and some kids from high school that Mikey didn’t know well at all came in through the streamers, Brendon leaned in and whispered to Mikey, “I have no idea what Joe put in the punch but I’m totally gonna suck his dick if it’ll get me more because holy fuck, I’m already buzzed.”

 

“Why are you telling me this?” Mikey asked as Brendon tried to get them to dance with zer. Brendon shrugged, and tried to dip Mikey. “I don’t know. I can’t tell Spencer, ‘cause, you know. Morals and all that.”

 

“Morals.” Mikey said, because that made total sense. They ended up dancing with Brendon, and Spencer, Dallon, Patrick, and Pete for a song or two before Brendon tugged them back over to the drinks and poured two cups of punch. Ze handed one to Mikey. “It’s your first homecoming, Mikey. And it’s a gay one. Enjoy it.”

 

“I’ve never had, like, actual alcohol before.” Mikey said, taking a drink from the cup and then making a face. Brendon giggled. Mikey flipped zer off. “Shut up. I stole some of my parents wine from the downstairs fridge once but it tasted gross so I put it back.”

 

“Duh. Parent fridge wine is the worst, unless you’re drinking just to get drunk and then it doesn’t fucking matter.” Brendon said. Ze was wearing five inch heels and a tight dress that reminded Mikey of Lindsey Lohan’s house party dress in Mean Girls. Mikey wondered if Brendon was going to end up like Lindsey Lohan’s character in that scene, and asked, “so, what, are you drinking to get really drunk or is it something else?”

 

“I’m planning to pass out on the couch in Ray’s basement before Dallon and Spence get over themselves and kiss in front of everyone tonight,” Brendon said, tossing back a large portion of zer cup of punch, “so, yeah, I guess I’m drinking to get drunk.”

 

“Okay.” Mikey said. “Don’t do anything too stupid, I guess.”

 

“Oh man, you do not know me at all.” Brendon said, and left their empty cup, complete with lipstick stains, on the table. Ze wrapped an arm around Mikey’s shoulders and led them back out to where a small crowd was gathering. More people had shown up than anticipated, and Mikey wondered how many of them were actually gay and how many were just friends with Pete. Brendon didn’t even stumble, which was impressive considering that ze was obviously not that sober, and wearing heels that made Mikey terrified for the safety of their own toes. 

 

Pete bumped their hip against Brendon, making Brendon bump into Mikey and Mikey spill their drink. Mikey frowned down at their shoes and Brendon flicked Pete in the face, barely missing their nose. “Party foul, you fuck. Now you gotta buy Mikey another drink.”

 

“Dude, it’s an open bar and I know the guy providing the alcohol.” Pete said, and then kissed Brendon on the mouth. They smelled like weed. They slung their arm around Brendon’s neck, standing up on their toes because now Brendon was very much taller than Pete, and grinned at Mikey. “Speaking of Joe, he’s also got some weed and we’re willing to share. Mikey, you wanna come outside and get fucking baked so that these assholes can’t have any?”

 

“What about me?” Brendon pouted. Pete patted their cheek. “Bren, you’re on your way to wine mom status and Patrick already gave me the ‘don’t mix drugs and alcohol’ speech before downing a shot from Joe’s bottle of whatever, so no. You can go pine over Dallon and Spencer and get fucked on your own, but me and Mikey are gonna have the real fun. Right, Mikey?”

 

“Brendon can smoke with us.” Mikey said, because they had a gut feeling that leaving Brendon alone (so to speak) with alcohol right now probably wasn’t the smartest idea. Pete rolled their eyes. “Jeez, man, you don’t even own the weed. But fine, we’ll bring wine mom with us.”

 

“Fuck no, I’m not wine mom.” Brendon said, taking Mikey’s drink from them and drinking it zirself. Mikey didn’t care that much. “I’m the fucking vodka aunt. I’m drunk before the turkey even goes in the oven.”

 

“Doesn’t it take like three days to cook a turkey?” Pete asked, looking at Mikey as the three of them paraded through the crowd, towards the streamers. Mikey shook their head as the three of them ducked under and half ran, half stumbled (they were still all holding onto each other) over to where Patrick and Joe were sitting in the grass. Joe looked up at the three of them. “Patrick’s a really shitty responsible adult. He’s already buzzed.”

 

“Joe kept trying to smoke everything while you were gone, Pete, but I stopped them.” Patrick said, handing the alcohol bottle (which was a recycled empty gallon of water) to Brendon, who had started making grabby hands as soon as ze sat down. Ze took a gulp and put the jug in the center. Mikey shrugged and took a sip, almost spitting it out because it tasted worse without the punch. Pete laughed and ruffled Mikey’s hair. “Joe, please give this poor child some weed. They’re trying so hard to drink and they’re struggling.”

 

“Alright, whatever.” Joe said, and passed the already lit joint to Mikey, who took it and took a few puffs from it before handing it back to Joe. Before long, it was completely dark out, Mikey could hear Against Me! playing from inside the garage, and they were very, very stoned. They had their head leaned against Pete’s shoulder, and every time they said anything--literally anything--Pete would start laughing and they would fall off. They kept talking, though, because Pete had a cute laugh and they kind of wanted Pete to laugh forever. 

 

“We should… we should go and dance.” Brendon said. Ze was drunk. Patrick was also drunk, his cheeks pink and the tie he had been wearing at the beginning of all this now being used as Pete’s headband. Pete didn’t even need a headband, because their hair was short, but Mikey didn’t tell them that because they didn’t want to be moved from Pete’s shoulder again. Pete had a nice shoulder.

 

“You have a nice shoulder.” Mikey said out loud. Pete laughed, and Mikey fell forward, face planting on Pete’s thigh. They didn’t move, even though their glasses were pressing against their face. Someone, maybe Joe, pet their hair. “Mikey, stop smelling Pete’s leg or whatever, and let’s go dance. It’s homecoming, we can’t sit out here and be baked the entire time, that’s lame.”

 

“We’re lame.” Patrick said, but they all got up and managed to get back into the garage anyway. Brendon kept giggling against Pete and Patrick, and Patrick kept trying to tell a joke but couldn’t get through it before both Pete and Brendon were laughing over him. Joe seemed to be the most put together, with Patrick’s hand in one hand and the half empty gallon of alcohol in the other. Joe dragged Mikey away from everyone else once they were inside, an arm around Mikey’s shoulders. “They’re all out of it. You and me, we’re gonna make sure there’s still enough good shit in the punch to make this fun. Not that your band sucks, because they don’t, but like, it’s homecoming. You gotta get drunk on homecoming.”

 

“Is that all you brought?” Mikey asked, because the punch bowl was essentially empty when the two of them got over there. Joe shook their head. “Nah, I put the rest under the table. You wanna help me make punch?”

 

“Sure.” Mikey said. Making punch turned out to be the easiest thing ever. They just grabbed a two liter bottle of soda--“Not the Dr. Pepper, Dallon drinks that and they don’t drink alcohol”--and mixed it with Joe’s other gallon jug of mystery alcohol. Joe and Mikey each filled a cup each, to test it, of course, and it tasted horrible, but Mikey was too stoned to really care, and drank it anyway. They told Joe this, and Joe laughed. “Of course it tastes like shit. You think people drink this because they like it?”

 

“I don’t know.” Mikey said. “I don’t really care.”

 

“Sweet.” Joe said, grabbing Mikey’s arm. “Let’s go see if we can get Patrick to grind on Andy.”

 

“Okay.” Mikey said. They did end up getting Patrick to grind on Andy, who covered his face the entire time while also laughing and telling Pete and Joe that he was going to kill both of them. Mikey just snapped a few pictures and a three second video to put on snapchat. They were only friends with members of the GSA, and at the time forgot that a lot of their twitter followers followed them on snapchat, including @pwheezie. 

 

“Ohhh, shit,” Pete drawled out suddenly, when Patrick was no longer dancing with Andy and Against Me! was playing one of their original songs that Mikey decided they liked stoned and would probably like sober. Pete poked Mikey’s arm aggressively, grabbing their jaw and turning their face over to a different part of the garage. “Oh, shit, Mikeyway are you seeing this. Oh fuck. Don’t put it on snapchat, we’ll all die.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Mikey said, because they couldn’t tell what was freaking Pete out so much. They squinted, and then they saw it: Brendon kissing Dallon, and Dallon wasn’t stopping zer. Mikey’s eyes widened. “Oh fuck.”

 

“Yeah, oh fuck.” Pete said, still holding Mikey’s face. “We gotta find Spencer and keep him from doing something stupid, because he will totally do something stupid if he sees that.”

 

“Wait, you know about Spencer and Dallon?” Mikey said, before realising that they were kind of outing Spencer and Dallon if Pete didn’t know. But Pete was nodding, holding Mikey by their arm now, instead of their face, and pulling them through everyone to try and figure out where Spencer was. Pete ended up holding Mikey’s hand. “Yeah, dude, I know everything. Me and Brendon are like, hate-fuck buddies, or we were until I got into someone else, and ze tells me everything. Ze told me that ze thought you were fucking Dallon at first, which freaked my out because that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

 

“What do you mean?” Mikey asked, but they never got an answer because Pete had dragged them into Ray’s basement room and turned on the lights, to see Spencer sitting next to the sofa with a mostly empty water bottle of what Mikey knew was Joe’s weird alcohol thing. His head was half in the cushions and his eyes were red. Not stoned red, but the same red that Gee’s eyes got whenever xe’d been crying a lot.

 

Mikey sat down beside Spencer on the floor and Pete sat on the couch beside them. Spencer moved his head from the couch cushion to Mikey’s shoulder, and let out the most pitiful noise Mikey had ever heard in their life. Mikey looked up at Pete, who mouthed  _ dude, hug him _ at Mikey. Mikey wrapped their arms around Spencer’s shoulders and held him, like they’d held Gee when xe got rejected by Bert McCracken in ninth grade and when their parents had yelled at Gee (and Mikey, somewhat) for hours after finding makeup in Gee’s room the first time. 

 

Pete slid down off the couch and hugged Spencer from the other side. “I can kill Brendon if you want. I can kill both of them. I know where they live and the river’s really close to my house. No one would ever find the bodies.”

 

“I don’t wanna kill them.” Spencer said, his words slurred and muffled against Mikey’s shoulder, and Mikey could feel their shirtsleeve getting damp, which meant that Spencer was probably crying again and Pete needed to shut up. So Mikey lifted their head and said, “Pete, shut up.”

 

“I trusted them,” Spencer said to Mikey’s shoulder, and part of Mikey was still sober enough to want to tell Spencer to shut up, too, and that he was way to drunk to be spilling his feelings now, but most of Mikey just felt severely unable to handle the situation and just hugged Spencer tighter. Spencer let out another sad noise. “I told them I was in love with them, and that I trusted them and they said… fuck. They said they weren’t gonna fucking. They weren’t gonna do anything with Brendon anymore and they don’t even drink and I hate them.”

 

“Me too,” Mikey said, because it felt like the right thing to say, even though they didn’t actually hate Dallon or Brendon (yet). Spencer shook his head. “No, you don’t have to hate them. I don’t hate them, I just hate that they don’t. That they don’t. Fuck. I don’t hate them I just want to kiss them.”

 

Pete and Mikey made eye contact over Spencer’s bowed head. Mikey didn’t know what to say, and Pete looked like they didn’t trust themselves to not say anything stupid that would worsen the situation. 

 

“Hey, Pete, Joe said you stole their weed and I wanted--wait is Spencer okay?” Mikey and Pete turned around to see a sweaty, startled looking Frank standing in the doorway, leaning in with one hand on the doorframe and the other hanging limply by his side. Spencer lifted his head from Mikey’s shoulder enough so that Frank could see his face, and Frank’s eyes widened even more. “Dude, are you crying? Who do I need to punch?”

 

“No punching,” Mikey said, at the same time that Pete--because Pete was an idiot apparently--said, “Brendon and Dallon were making out.”

 

“Right.” Frank said, his face dropping to something dark and vengeful (although that was probably more the weed thinking for Mikey than Frank’s actual face, but whatever) and his fist clenching by his side. “I’ll be right back.”

 

“Frank, no!” Mikey called out, but Frank was gone and Mikey didn’t follow him because they figured that Spencer needed them more than Frank needed to be stopped from starting anything. Spencer buried his face back into Mikey’s shoulder. Mikey hugged him tightly. “Frank’s just doing his best. We’re here for you though, you’re our friend.”

 

“Okay.” Spencer said. “Just please don’t hurt Dallon, or Brendon. They’re my friends too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..........please don't hate me too much; I genuinely forgot that I did this and then when I was copy/pasting the chapter I was like "oh fuck this is the one where Things Happen whoops." 
> 
> Anyway, please comment/leave a kudos to complain/yell at me/give Spencer hugs!


	24. Brendon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaNoWriMo is starting in like three days and I'm participating (again) so the updates for this fic will slow down a bit because I'll be focusing on my NaNo novel. 
> 
> I do have a few chapters past this already written, so I won't be putting this on hiatus for the next month.

Mikey, Pete, and Spencer had passed out together on Ray’s couch at some point the night before, and Ray had given Mikey some blankets for the three of them so they wouldn’t get cold. Mikey woke up with Pete’s head on their chest and Spencer spooning them from the other side. Mikey felt like literal death, and they were really glad that the basement was still dark. They had no idea what time it was, and they only knew it was Sunday morning. They reached down and fished their phone out of their pocket without waking up Pete, and opened it up, squinting against the brightness. Their glasses were still on, but not broken, which was good. 

 

They had a kik message from Laura.

 

**trutransrebel** : hey ur friends are cool (and a little ridiculous w/ the alcohol but w/e) and it was fun playing with every1. tell frank if he ever wants to jam with us he can, also we’re gonna be doing a series of shows downtown once the semesters over if u and friends want to come watch

**trutransrebel** : we’ll put u on the list but u guys will still have 2 pay (srry but we gotta pay the rent somehow)

 

Mikey typed out a reply, even though it was nine in the morning and they had no idea if Laura was even awake.

 

**mieky** : cool i’ll give frank ur kik if that’s okay

**mieky** : also sorry i disappeared friend stuff happened

**trutransrebel** : totally get it

**trutransrebel** : and yeah u can give frank my kik if he doesn’t already have it

 

Mikey gave Laura Frank’s kik, and then turned their phone off and put it back in their pocket. They only had thirteen percent of their battery left, and even though they wanted to use it to check twitter, they had a feeling they would be needing their phone for other, more important things. Like, retconning things between Spencer and Dallon, because they remembered what had happened last night and they figured that Dallon, at some point, would be messaging Mikey about it in a panic.

 

Mikey had no idea how they’d ended up as the advice friend. Ray was usually better at helping people sort their shit out, but maybe she and Dallon just didn’t know each other as well. Mikey would make them get along, though, because Mikey didn’t have a lot of advice stored up yet.

 

They fell back asleep and woke up again when Spencer did. He looked like shit, with red-rimmed eyes and a pale face. Mikey adjusted their glasses and whispered, because Pete was still asleep on their chest, “how much do you remember?”

 

“Enough.” Spencer said, his voice scratchy. He pressed his fingers to his forehead. “Also, I feel like I’m gonna throw up but I don’t know if I can get upstairs without dying.”

 

“I’ll come with you.” Mikey said. Spencer nodded, and started slowly moving off the couch. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem.” Mikey said. They managed to get out from under Pete without waking them up, although Pete did murmur out a soft, “Mikeyway, yeah” before grabbing at the blanket. Mikey stood up, feeling a little nauseous themselves, and headed up the stairs, arm and arm with Spencer. Spencer ducked into the bathroom, and Mikey stood outside, keeping their eyes closed because it was less painful that way. Because of that, they didn’t notice when Frank came and sat beside them, at least until Frank put an arm around Mikey. “You okay?”

 

“Hangover.” Mikey said. “Or something.”

 

“Yeah, you should see everyone else.” Frank said. “I think me and Andy and Ray are the only ones alive enough to function right now.”

 

“Did you actually do anything last night, or did you just yell at Dallon?” Mikey said, because they had no idea and they didn’t know when Spencer would be coming out of the bathroom. They opened their eyes and looked up at Frank. The knuckles on his right hand were bruised. Frank stared at his hand. “I yelled at them both, and I hit Dallon. Dallon left after that, I don’t know how they got home.”

 

“I think they drove here.” Mikey said. “Did Brendon go with them?”

 

“Nah, I think Brendon passed out somewhere upstairs with someone else.” Frank said. “I’m not trying to sympathise with zer or anything, but I think ze might have, like, family issues or something, because ze’s not okay. Like, at all.”

 

“I don’t think any of us are okay, Frank.” Mikey said. Frank let out a sigh. “True, but I think some people are less okay than others.”

 

“Yeah, probably.” Mikey said. Then, “is your mom gonna pick you up or will Gee take you home?”

 

“I don’t know. I told my mom I’d text her whenever I figured out what I’d be doing, but my phone’s dead and Ray only has iPhone chargers.” Frank shook his head. He lit up. “Oh, yeah, Ray and Andy said they’d make food whenever everyone woke up and the not GSA people all left. And also Laura said I could fill in for her band whenever her guitarist wasn’t available. Apparently he’s trying to do the whole real life office job shit and doesn’t want to give up everything to be in a cool band. So I might not have to go to college, which is good because I fucking hate school.”

 

“I’m proud of you.” Mikey said. Frank grinned. The door to the bathroom opened and the two of them looked up at Spencer, who didn’t look much better than before, but he also didn’t look like he was two seconds from throwing up anymore. Spencer looked down at the two of them. “Hey Frank.”

 

“Hey.” Frank said. “You want some water? My mom’s a nurse, she says water cures fucking everything.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Spencer said. The three of them headed to Ray’s kitchen, where Ray had put on a pot of coffee and she and Andy were sitting at the kitchen table, quietly discussing something. They both quieted when Frank, Mikey, and Spencer came in. Frank, halfway to the icemaker to get Spencer a glass of water, raised an eyebrow. “What? Is there something on my face?”

 

“I… no. Sorry.” Ray said. She looked up at Mikey. “How’re you guys feeling?”

 

“Like death, mom.” Mikey answered honestly. Spencer hovered by Mikey’s side until Frank handed him the glass of water, and then he wandered over to the table and sat down beside Ray, sipping sadly on the water. Frank grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee, then turned to Mikey. “You didn’t get cheated on last night, you’re on your own.”

 

“Can you guys not pity me?” Spencer said, again looking a few seconds away from breaking down. Mikey frowned. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s not you.” Spencer said. “Just… I mean I know I’m gonna need time to get over them, but you guys don’t have to act like I’m broken or something. This isn’t the first time I’ve had this happen, okay? I’ll be fine.”

 

“Wait, Dallon cheated on you before?” Frank said, looking ready to steal Gee’s car and drive to Dallon’s house to punch them again. Spencer shook his head. “Not Dallon. Brendon. And we weren’t really dating that time, ze was just using me as a rebound from Ryan.”

 

Andy raised an eyebrow. “No offense, dude, but you three are a fucking trainwreck.”

 

“Andy.” Ray said condescendingly. Andy put his hands up. “What? I said no offense.”

 

Ray rolled her eyes. Spencer shook his head, and took another sip of water. “No, it’s okay. Andy’s right, and we all are trainwrecks. We’re used to it, though. I’ll be fine.”

 

Mikey poured themselves a glass of water, because they didn’t think coffee was the best idea at the moment, and joined everyone else at the table. They sat next to Spencer. “So, enough talk about the shit that went down last night. What’re we having for breakfast? Or lunch or whatever?”

 

“I heard bacon was good for hangovers.” Ray said, and looked over at Andy and Frank. “I have fake bacon too, so the vegetarians won’t starve. I can also make waffles.”

 

“Please.” Spencer said. “No one can be sad with waffles. It’s a scientific fact.”

 

“We have waffles. Probably.” Ray said, nodding and looking over at the freezer, probably trying to remember if there were enough waffles there to feed everyone. “And, if we don’t, I know there’s pancake mix in the pantry and we probably have eggs or whatever you need to make pancakes. Which are kind of like waffles.”

 

“I mean, you can make pancakes, but I still want some of your waffles.” Spencer said, looking a little more alive. When Pete came up a few minutes later and took Andy’s coffee without asking, Spencer even waved at them. Pete made a face. “You look dead, dude, holy fuck.”

 

“I feel pretty dead.” Spencer said. “Not that you look better. You’ve got eyeliner all over your face. I think you got some on Mikey’s shirt, too.”

 

“Sorry, Mikeyway.” Pete said. Mikey looked down, and sure enough, there was a smudge of eyeliner on their shirt. They shrugged. Their mom could probably get it out. They told Pete this, and Pete grinned, sitting down next to Mikey. Pete noticed all the coffee mugs and their eyes widened. “Yo, we have coffee?”

 

“Yeah, I figured some people might want it.” Ray said. “Me and Andy are also gonna make some food, but we were planning to wait for everyone to be up first.”

 

“I can go find everyone else and make them come down here. I’m fucking hungry.” Pete said. They nudged Mikey. “You wanna come with me, Mikeyway?”

 

“I’m good.” Mikey said. Pete shrugged, and then got up and poured themselves a cup of coffee before wandering off. Andy and Ray got up, Ray instructing Andy as to where her parents kept all of the cooking supplies. Ray popped a few Eggo waffles in the toaster and brought the bottles of syrup to the table. Mikey just watched, not awake enough to be helpful.

 

Joe, Patrick, and Pete returned a few minutes later. Patrick’s hair was sticking up everywhere and he was wearing a pair of Pete’s sunglasses. The lights in the kitchen weren’t even on. Pete returned to their place beside Mikey and elbowed them in the arm. “Gee and Lindsey are awake, too, but they were kind of… you know… indisposed. I figured you didn’t want to see your own sibling looking debauched.”

 

“Can you get me some water and never talk to me again?” Mikey asked, only serious about the first part. Pete winked, and came back with water in one hand and their coffee in the other. By the time Gee and Lindsey came down (still looking like they’d been having a lot of sex), the fake bacon was ready and Ray was almost done with the pancakes. Spencer and Mikey had switched seats so that Pete could steal some of the waffles. Mikey had ripped off about half of one of the waffles and was eating it plain, nibbling around at the edges. They weren’t very hungry yet.

 

No one was mentioning that Brendon and Dallon weren’t there. Mikey knew that Dallon had gone home early the night before, after Frank had punched them, but they had no idea if Brendon was still in Ray’s house. They wanted to ask Pete if Pete had even bothered to go looking for Brendon, but Spencer was right there between them. Even if Spencer didn’t want people to treat him like he was going to break down any moment, Mikey knew there were just some things not to mention.

 

Brendon ended up showing up on zir own accord. Zir shoes were gone, and there was a rip in the seam of zir dress. Brendon’s makeup was ruined entirely, and there were handprint shaped bruises on zir thighs, low enough that they peeked out from under the end of zir dress. Ze stood in the kitchen, toes pointing inward and looking very uncomfortable. Spencer didn’t even look up. 

 

Frank did. “Morning, sunshine. Sleep well?”

 

“I, um, I need a ride home.” Brendon said quietly. Gee looked like xe was going to offer to give Brendon a ride, but Frank glared at xem and said, “me too, since Gee’s probably gonna take Spencer home, and I know that xe can fit a fuckton of people in xer car, but I don’t really believe it. So, why don’t you and I ride home with someone else.”

 

“I can drive.” Ray said, calmly, in a very maternal voice. Gee was looking at Mikey, and Mikey realised that xe had no idea what had happened with Brendon, Spencer, and Dallon the previous night. Lindsey was just as confused, but she was hiding it better and was just pushing a piece of pancake around with her fork, soaking up syrup. Her eyebrow was raised, though, and her face was tilted towards Brendon, even though her eyes were on the plate. 

 

“I can’t go home in this.” Brendon said, a very distinct crack in zir voice. “I need a change of clothes, but the stuff I came in is, um.”

 

Ze looked at Spencer. Spencer was not looking at zir. Mikey slowly started sinking into their seat because it was too early for this much awkwardness and they kind of wanted to leave. Like, immediately. Brendon swallowed. “It’s at your house, Spencer, and… and yeah.”

 

“You can borrow some of my clothes, it’s fine.” Ray said. She turned and looked at Frank. “You ready to go?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Frank said, and grabbed his plate, which still had two strips of fake bacon. He followed Ray out of the room, and then the kitchen fell into silence for a while. People were just staring at each other, everyone waiting for someone to break the silence so that they wouldn’t have to. It wasn’t until Mikey heard the front door open and heard Brendon thanking Ray for driving zer home that Lindsey dropped her fork and said, “so. What the fuck was that?”

 

“Brendon’s an asshole, Dallon’s an idiot, and Dallon and I were a thing.” Spencer said. Lindsey’s eyebrows went farther up. Mikey chewed on their fingernail. “Also, Frank punched Dallon and they left.”

 

“Right…” Lindsey said, slowly. “Why did you guys let Frank go in the same car as Brendon even though the two of them live on different sides of Ray’s house?”

 

“Um.” Mikey said, because Lindsey had a good point. Spencer let out a loud sigh. “Look, can we just go home and maybe never talk about this ever again? Because I never want to talk about this ever again.”

 

“Yeah, let me just call my mom.” Joe said. “She’ll pick me and Patrick up and take us home. You guys can… Gee can you fit everyone else in your car?”

 

“Probably.” Gee said. Xe looked over at Mikey, and Mikey knew they’d be explaining everything to Gee later, and xe’d probably be telling Lindsey most of it. It wasn’t even a gossip thing, it was just that Gee and Lindsey worked better, and were better people, when they knew what the fuck was going on with their friends. Ray already knew everything, and would probably tell Mikey, Lindsey, and Gee about whatever happened while she was taking Frank and Brendon home, but Lindsey and Gee didn’t know much at all. 

 

The ride in Gee’s car was quiet. Andy, Pete, Spencer, and Mikey were in the back, and Spencer and Andy had the window seats. Mikey was directing Gee, and their voice was the only thing cutting through the silence during the trip. Gee dropped Lindsey off last, and xe and Mikey used Lindsey’s bathroom to change back into parent approved clothes and stuff their fancy shit in the trunk.

 

“You wanna tell me what happened?” Gee asked as xe drove away from Lindsey’s house. Mikey nodded, and repeated pretty much everything they remembered from the night before, as well as the part where Frank apparently punched Dallon in the face. Gee frowned at that part. “How, though? Dallon’s fucking tall, and Frank’s probably the shortest person in our group.”

 

“Patrick’s shorter, I think.” Mikey said. “But I don’t know. Maybe he jumped. He was pissed off, that’s all I remember.”

 

“Do you think Spencer and Dallon are gonna break up because of this?” Gee asked. Mikey shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t realise high school was like this. I thought it was just doing stupid shit with your friends.”

 

“Doing stupid shit with your friends has consequences, apparently.” Gee said. Xe pulled into the driveway, but didn’t turn the car off. Xe turned to Mikey. “Text Dallon. At least try to get the full story before we turn on them, or Brendon.”

 

“I wasn’t going to turn on them, Jesus Christ.” Mikey said, rolling their eyes. Gee made xer unimpressed older sibling face. “Mikey. Just because you’re not going to doesn’t mean our other friends won’t. Text Dallon. Hell, text Brendon if you want. But definitely text Dallon.”

 

“Okay.” Mikey said. “Once we get back inside.”

 

Gee nodded, and turned the car off. The two of them grabbed their clothes from the back and headed into their shared room in the basement. They didn’t check upstairs to see if their parents were there, because it was only a little after noon and they knew that their parents liked to have lunch at church on Sundays if they could. Mikey flopped down onto their bed and plugged in their phone before starting a chat with Dallon. 

 

-private message to  **dadtree** -

 

**mieky** : hey

**dadtree** : Is Spencer there with you? 

**mieky** : no

**mieky** : what happened last night

**dadtree** : I’m pretty sure you already know. I feel like an idiot, and I don’t even have an excuse for what happened. 

**dadtree** : It shouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have let Brendon kiss me, and I shouldn’t have kissed zer back. 

**mieky** : u tell spencer that

**dadtree** : He won’t respond to any of my texts, and I tried calling him but he ignored the call as well.

**dadtree** : Am I a bad person, Mikey?

**mieky** : well i mean u kind of made out with ur ex while ur boyfriend was right there so ya

**mieky** : i mean it was a shitty thing to do but u should at least try to apologise

**mieky** : spencer was really upset

**dadtree** : I know. Frank said so, before he hit me. 

**dadtree** : I deserved that, you know. I cheated on Spencer.

**mieky** : hey at least u didn’t have sex with brendon

**mieky** : that would b bad

**dadtree** : Everything’s just really complicated and messed up, Mikey. And I think I made it worse for everyone.

**mieky** : yea

**mieky** : like i’m pretty sure i should be conforting u but… u did. u fucked up

**dadtree** : I know. Can you at least watch over Spencer, and make sure he’s okay? 

**dadtree** : I’m an asshole.

**mieky** : yeah 

**mieky** : that was @ both of the things u sent me

**dadtree** : Thanks, Mikey. You don’t have to tell him I’m sorry, though. I’ll do that myself. 

**mieky** : ok

**mieky** : i just got a message from frank hold on

 

-private message from  **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** -

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : right so this is awkward

**mieky** : ??????

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i think brendon has some serious home issues dude like…. really bad

**mieky** : like wat

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i mean i don’t have any concrete evidence or shit like that but back in jersey b4 my parents divorced there was a kid in my fifth grade class who had like really shitty abusive parents and he was constantly acting out, being a dick, purposely doing things that would make people hate him/turn against him

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : idk 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i just know that brendon’s parents are super religious and ze was terrified to get out of the car because ze was afraid that ze still “looked like a girl” 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : like it’s one thing to be closeted and afraid of getting caught but. like... the way brendon was acting was fucking scary man 

**mieky** : i mean maybe

**mieky** : i was talking to dallon and they said that things were already messed up and they made it worse

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : no shit

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : why the fuck were you even talking to dallon

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : fuck dallon. fucker doesn’t have a fucking excuse for what they did what the fuck

**mieky** : i’m not saying they do but… maybe there’s a lot going on here that we know fuck all about

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : yeah no shit

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : how the fuck do we fix this shit though because i do not want to have to deal with b/s/d being weird and pissy and awkward around each other for however long

**mieky** : i am not the solution man idk

 

Mikey dropped their phone on the bed and let out a sigh. They turned on their side to face Gee. “This fucking sucks, and I’m not even that involved.”

 

“What did Dallon say?” Gee asked. 

 

“That they feel like shit for what happened and that they’re trying to apologise to Spencer but he won’t acknowledge their existence.” Mikey said. Gee pursed their lips. “Well, I’m not really surprised, since, you know, it’s been like ten hours or something since it happened. If I was Spencer I’d be pissed as hell, and probably feel like absolute shit.”

 

“Yeah, true.” Mikey said. “Why are all of our friends trainwrecks?”

 

“Because we’re all gay and no one ever taught us how to deal with our problems.” Gee said. Xe let out a sigh. “You wanna go drink coffee and look at comic books so that we can avoid our parents for a few more hours?”

 

“Hell yeah.” Mikey said. They didn’t even bother to shower or change into fresher clothes, because Gee didn’t do either of those and they were following Gee’s lead. Getting out of the house, doing something that was just them and Gee, sounded like a great plan.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	25. Egg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This just in: all of Mikey's friends are impulsive idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to add that I too am an impulsive idiot and am in the middle of a really intense mania. So, who knows what the next day or two will be like. 
> 
> Also, I might start posting chapters/sections of my NaNo novel, since it's a fanfic.

By third period on Monday, Mikey could already feel their not well established friend group falling apart. Spencer didn’t even show up, and Brendon and Dallon were back to sitting on opposite ends of the room. Mikey was beside Dallon, but they didn’t talk to Dallon at all during class. They weren’t sure what to say, or if there was anything that they could say.

 

The GSA meeting was just as awkward, because both Brendon and Spencer showed up. Spencer sat over with Joe, Patrick, Pete, and Andy, and Brendon hovered around near Mikey without being too close to Mikey. Frank sat through the whole meeting with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed tightly over his chest. 

 

At the end of the meeting, before Mikey could even get over to their backpack and try to convince Gee to just leave immediately, Pete cornered them. Pete put a hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “Hey, you wanna go get stoned with me and Patrick, Joe, and Spencer? Andy’s got a permit now, and he looks like he could drive so we can actually go somewhere. If you want.”

 

“Uh, sure.” Mikey said. They turned around and tossed the pen they’d been holding at Gee. “Hey, Gee, I’m gonna hang out with Pete. I’ll text you when I’m coming home.”

 

“Mom and Dad are gonna be pissed.” Gee said. Mikey shrugged. “Tell them I’m tutoring Frank more.”

 

“Stop using me as your scapegoat.” Frank said. He grabbed his guitar and seemed to notice who Mikey was leaving with. “Wait, if you guys are doing what I think you’re doing,” Frank knew better than to admit to smoking in front of Mr. Armstrong, even though he was a cool teacher and probably wouldn’t report them for drug use, “am I allowed to join or do I need to get initiated in first?”

 

“I dunno.” Pete said, turning to Joe. “You’re the one with the mom van. Can we fit everyone?”

 

“Yeah, definitely.” Joe said, without doing a head count. 

 

Everyone who was going to go get stoned and have Andy drive them around left together, and headed out to Joe’s mom van. It was dark green, with a long scratch down the driver’s side and a bunch of family friendly stickers on the back. They all threw their things in the trunk, and Joe drove them out through a bunch of random neighbourhoods until they stopped at a small park. No one was there, which made sense because it was a Monday and most people were already home with their kids.

 

“I didn’t even know there was a park here.” Frank said. Joe nodded. “Yeah, most people don’t. Me and Pete come here to get stoned though. It’s pretty great.”

 

“Yeah, until you guys forget to come back to school and I have to pretend to need to piss so I can come get your stupid asses.” Andy said, not looking mad at all. Joe shrugged. “What’re friends for?”

 

“Stop being gay with Andy and give me the dankness.” Pete said, sitting down on the ground beside a slide. Mikey sat on the actual side, and Spencer sat next to them. He bumped his shoulder against Mikey’s. “We should totally go and do something stupid once we’re stoned.”

 

“Like what?” Mikey asked, rolling their eyes at Pete’s failed attempts to roll a joint. Patrick leaned over and did it for them, taking the first hit and then handing it over to Spencer. Spencer took a drag, handed it to Joe since it was probably Joe’s weed to begin with, and said, “I dunno. Something we wouldn’t do otherwise.”

 

The six of them (and Andy, who’s sitting a few feet away and acting like he’s interested in whatever’s on his phone more than their conversation) spend the time it takes to get baked discussing possible ideas. Frank suggests egging someone’s house, but admits he doesn’t know where anyone lives around here, and also doesn’t know the names of any of the assholes who go to school with them. 

 

Mikey and Spencer look at each other, and Mikey retells the story where Spencer almost ran into a truck of dicks because they called him and Mikey (and Dallon, but Mikey’s sober enough to remember that Dallon no longer exists in Spencer’s world) the f word. Pete gets Mikey and Spencer to describe the truck, and the guys in it, and they’re able to figure out who it is by vehicle alone.

 

Andy agrees to help them out, so they finish off the little weed they have left, Mikey, Spencer, and Frank splitting it, and then pile back into the car to go to the Huck’s by the school and get some eggs. 

 

Getting eggs while stoned is a lot harder than Mikey had expected, especially since everyone’s fucking hungry now and there’s a bunch of junk food around them. They end up leaving with about fifty dollars of food and three dozen eggs between them all, and then end up singing Disney songs on the way to the truck owner’s house. He lives in a big house a few minutes away from the high school, and his truck is parked out in the street. 

 

None of them think about the fact that the sun hasn’t fully set yet, or that they’re all stoned (except for Andy) and probably don’t have the best aim. They just start hurling eggs everywhere. 

 

Pete hits a window on the second floor, right in the center of the pane, and Mikey seriously considers kissing them. They don’t, because of so many reasons. 

 

Spencer throws egg after egg at the front of the truck, and almost kicks the front light in before Andy, who looks like a frazzled single parent, stops him. Andy’s too busy with Spencer to stop Frank from climbing into the bed of the truck and shouting out, “yo, the top’s open!” with the most excited look on his face. 

 

“Throw an egg in!” Patrick yelled, and almost dropped the carton he’s holding. Joe took the two eggs left in Patrick’s carton and tossed them up at Frank. Neither of them went in the truck. Frank gave Joe a thumbs up before hurling his own egg into the front seat of the truck and jumping down from the bed. By that point, they were all out of eggs and so they shoved the cartons in the trunk of Joe’s car, and Andy drove everyone to Pete’s house. 

 

Pete’s parents weren’t home, and so the seven of them laid out around Pete’s living room, eating the food they’d picked up from Huck’s and laughing about what they’d done. 

 

“That was fucking hilarious.” Frank said, biting into a Twizzler. “Who the fuck leaves the roof of their car open?”

 

“Dude, we’re in Happyville McFucktown,” Joe said, stealing half of Patrick’s poptart. “There’s a weird trust system going on here.”

 

“I’m from Jersey and pulling shit like that is what gets you robbed.” Frank said, a few pieces of chewed up Twizzler falling out of his mouth. He ignored them, as did pretty much everyone else in the room. Patrick dropped his poptart wrapper in Joe’s lap. “So, any other dumb ideas or are we just gonna hang out here until we can act normal enough to go home?”

 

“We should’ve slashed his tires.” Spencer said. Mikey thought that Spencer’s insistence on making truck guy’s life hard was partially because of the whole Dallon and Brendon thing. They wondered if Dallon had been able to get anything but silence from Spencer. 

 

“We can do that tomorrow.” Frank said, pulling out a Twizzler and holding it out towards Spencer. “Twizzler?”

 

“No thanks.” Spencer said. He put his feet up in Mikey’s lap, and Mikey patted Spencer’s ankle, continuing to eat from the thing of Pringles that they’d been sharing with Spencer. They were barbecue flavoured Pringles. Mikey didn’t even like barbecue. They were still eating the chips, though, because their fingers were long and thin enough to reach into the can. Apparently that qualified as a talent. 

 

Frank’s fingers were too small, which was why he’d even given the Pringles to Mikey and Spencer in the first place. 

 

“This is probably the dumbest time to ask, but since we’re all still kinda stoned and Andy is a good person, I’ll ask it anyway.” Pete said, putting the poptart wrapper on the floor and reaching over to try and steal the other poptart that Joe was trying to hide from everyone else. Joe flipped Pete off, hitting them in the forehead with their middle finger. Pete stayed like that, laying across Patrick’s lap with their head by Joe. “What’s the weirdest sexual situation you’ve ever been in? Nothing leaves this room. I just wanna know. For bonding purposes.”

 

“I’ve given a blowjob in a public bathroom.” Mikey said, because they figured that Pete and everyone else would find out eventually. Most people who knew of Mikey knew that they’d given Gabe Saporta a blowjob, and that Gabe had eaten them out as well. 

 

“Me and two other people tried to recreate vegetable porn and we ended up with tomato guts in places where tomato guts should never be.” Spencer said. Everyone looked at him. He ate a Pringle. “What? Pete asked for weird.”

 

“Dude did you try to fuck a tomato?” Frank asked. “Because that’s fucking weird and you and whoever was involved should probably just give Mikey a dollar each because… because what the fuck.”

 

“Like you haven’t done weird shit.” Spencer said. Frank bit his lip, sucking his lip ring into his mouth. “Um.”

 

“Oh my God, I just remembered you said you went to Catholic school.” Pete said, their eyes wide. “Did you fuck in a church?”

 

“Yes?” Frank said. “I had a secret boyfriend and we had sex behind the pulpit. His dad was one of the preacher teacher people and so his dad was like super Catholic and, um. I’ve been gagged with a rosary.”

 

“You are going to hell if there is one.” Patrick said. He pulled his hat down. “I think the worst I’ve ever done was circle jerk with Pete and Joe in the back of Joe’s mom’s van once when we got really stoned the first time together.”

 

“Yeah, that’s probably the weirdest I’ve done.” Joe agreed. Andy was looking more and more like he wanted to leave entirely. “I’m so glad I wasn’t there when that happened.”

 

“That’s, like, the most normal sex I ever had, at least with Patrick.” Pete said, pressing their knee to Patrick’s chest. Patrick took his hat off and bopped Pete’s nose with it. “Confess your sins, then, Pete. You’re the only one who hasn’t gone.”

 

“I’ve had sex on camera.” Pete said. “I’ve also gotten a blowjob in front of a security camera, and one time I tried to use a banana as a dildo and it went about as good as Spencer’s tomato thing.”

 

“The tomato thing was gross.” Spencer said, making a face. “I can’t even look at tomatoes anymore. They’re disgusting.”

 

“I would totally do the banana thing again.” Pete said. “It was fucking hilarious.”

 

“Hey, Mikey, you wanna call Gee and have xem pick us up so that we don’t accidentally get involved in a banana orgy?” Frank said. Mikey nodded, because they were coming down and they weren’t interested in any kind of orgies, because they weren’t interested in Pete and Pete was also dating Patrick or something like that. 

 

Gee arrived ten minutes later, bearing a can of Febreeze and a growing black eye. Mikey’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

 

“Some assholes.” Gee said. “I forgot to not use the gas station by the school.”

 

“We can egg their house, right, Spencer?” Frank said, elbowing Spencer, who was getting a ride with Frank and Mikey as well. He didn’t want to be involved with potential banana orgies either, which was understandable. Spencer grinned at Frank. “We can slash their tires.”

 

“Only three, though, ‘cause apparently if you slash all four tires the insurance pays for it.” Frank said, getting into the back beside Spencer. He leaned forward, a bit closer to Gee than he needed to be, but Mikey figured it was just the weed. “This isn’t from personal experience or anything. I’ve never slashed tires before.”

 

“We did egg some dick’s car.” Spencer said. “And house. That was fun.”

 

Gee looked over at Mikey. “I’m never letting you hang out with Pete after school again.”

 

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Mikey said, pulling out their phone. Gee sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Just don’t let anyone get caught, okay?”

 

“Okay.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	26. time to get spoopy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honour of the literal worst election results, here's a new chapter.

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **time to get spoopy** -

 

**hatrick** : pete halloween isn’t until next week

**p_wheezie** : i know that’s why i said it’s time to get spoopy

**p_wheezie** : also can someone who isn’t joe be in charge of alcohol i don’t trust him

**joetrohfro** : wow okay

**mieky** : me and g can bring some

**hatrick** : wait where are we even meeting up

**p_wheezie** : uh probably at either andy’s or my house

**p_wheezie** : since u kno we live in the best candy neighbourhoods and have a park where we can fuck around and not get caught

**hurleyxvx** : pete they’re all meeting at ur house i’m not dealing with all of these fucks

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wow fuck u

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : also one of you fuckos should bring me a cake. since… u know… it’s my birthday

**spooncer** : yeah sure are u allergic to anything??

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m probably lactose intolerant also too much of that fancy icing makes me sick so @ whoever makes the fucking cake do not be lazy and buy it from a grocery store or i will puke on your shoes

**spooncer** : i am no longer in charge of the cake

**momfriend** : my mom and i can make it i guess

**momfriend** : she knows how to do birthday shit

**mieky** : fuck yeah ray i love ur mom

**momfriend** : ew

**mieky** : not like that fuck u

**p_wheezie** : they’re star crossed lovers ray let mikey love ur mom

**momfriend** : i’m blocking u pete

 

“Mikey, honey, what’re you doing on your phone that’s so funny?” Their mom asked. Mikey was in the living room because Lindsey was in Gee’s room (their mom was not aware of this) and Mikey wasn’t interested in playing third wheel. They also figured that they could keep their parents from going down to the basement if they were up where they could see their parents. 

 

Mikey locked their phone on instinct. “Oh, uh, Pete said something funny in the groupchat.”

 

“Alright.” She said. “So long as it’s not inappropriate.”

 

“It’s not.” It was. 

 

“Are you going over to Pete’s house for that music club thing you told me about a while ago?” Mikey’s mom asked. Mikey shrugged. After everything that had happened at homecoming, and then all the awkwardness at GSA the previous two Mondays, Pete hadn’t mentioned anything about having another bass club meeting. Mikey’s mom shook her head. “Mikey, you can’t just keep giving up on things when they don’t fit you immediately. Sometimes it takes a while to get used to people, and you’ve just got to give them a chance.”

 

“Mom, I like the people in the bass club.” Mikey said. “Pete just hasn’t said anything about getting together again, and since we all meet at Pete’s house… it’s not like I can make him do it.”

 

“You can always invite them over here.” She suggested. “You don’t have to leave the house every time you want to hang out with friends.”

 

“Yeah, but Pete’s got most of the stuff.” Mikey said. Their mom put a hand on her hip. “Michelle. Stop being so shy and show some initiative. Invite your friends over. I’ll make snacks, or buy snacks.”

 

“Okay.” Mikey said, knowing that they’d have to at least try to get Pete, Lindsey, and Dallon to come over or their mom would start getting helicopter-y. Their mom seemed satisfied with Mikey’s answer and left Mikey alone in the living room. Mikey pulled out their phone and started sending messages. 

 

-private message to  **geewhiz** -

 

**mieky** : how much sex are you planning on having i think moms getting suspicious

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **bass fuckers at the ways house** -

 

**mieky** : right so my mom thinks i’m being anti social

**p_wheezie** : ur mom is probably right

**mieky** : i’m ignoring u

**mieky** : dallon and lindsey are invited to play bass at my house but not u

**p_wheezie** : D:

**mieky** : i’m joking u have nicer equipment than lindsey

**mieky** : no offense @ lindsey for whenever she sees this

**dadtree** : Are you sure I’m allowed to come?

**mieky** : yeah ur drama is not related to playing bass so it doesn’t fucking matter here

**dadtree** : Okay. I think I can convince my parents to let me go. They let me go to Pete’s house, after all.

**p_wheezie** : i feel like i just got insulted

**dadtree** : No, my parents just don’t like me going to people’s houses unless they know the person first. 

**dadtree** : It’s annoying. 

**mieky** : no shit

**mieky** : but yeah u guys just tell me when u wanna come over and i’ll convince my mom to let me have “boys” in the basement

**p_wheezie** : dude u can’t even have people alone with u in the basement??? what the fuck r ur parents??????

**mieky** : my bedroom is in the basement

**p_wheezie** : sneak us in

**p_wheezie** : or i could try to pass as a cis girl and she would never know

**dadtree** : I don’t think I could (or would want to) pass off as a girl.

**p_wheezie** : not even to sneak into mikey’s bedroom?

**dadtree** : You’re making it sound weird.

**mieky** : it gets weirder when u find out i share my room w/ g now

**mieky** : g, who is currently doing the sexual with lindsey and that’s why she’s not responding

**p_wheezie** : i’m gonna come over 2 ur house and play sexy saxophone music @ ur basement

**p_wheezie** : mood music

**p_wheezie** : careless whisper that’s the name of the song i just remembered

**mieky** : i’m gonna make u put a dollar in the jar just because of that

**p_wheezie** : wow rude

**dadtree** : I think you should probably /give/ Pete a dollar so that they’ll do it. 

**mieky** : i thought u were on my side dallon

**dadtree** : I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m just offering suggestions. 

**mieky** : pete i will give u a dollar if u don’t bother my sibling and lindsey while they’re having the sex

**p_wheezie** : lame

**p_wheezie** : i’m screenshotting this conversation so you can’t back out of it ok

**p_wheezie** : u owe me a dollar

**mieky** : i accept that

 

They figured out a date for the meeting, and then found their mom to ask if it was okay for everyone to come over on Wednesday. Mikey’s mom frowned, reminding Mikey that they had church activities on Wednesday. Mikey shrugged. “I mean, I can miss one week, right?”

 

“You could always bring your friends with you.” She offered. Mikey bit at their nail and shook their head. “I can’t. Lindsey’s in the club and I think our youth pastor still hates her.”

 

Mikey’s mom let out a sigh. “I just don’t want you to miss youth group, especially now that you have friends there other than Gee and Ray.”

 

Mikey literally only had Frank as a friend at church, but whatever. They knew they weren’t going to get out of having to take Pete and Dallon to youth group. Lindsey would probably just get dropped off at her house on the way there, since her house was kind of on the way. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	27. Youth Group Is Wild

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did borrow the title from transboykobrakid's fic series by the same name. It's fine, we're friends. 
> 
> Please enjoy this, also there's some homophobia/transphobia because the trainwrecks are in a church.

“I’ve never been to a youth group before. What do you even do?” Pete asked. She was back to using she/hers pronouns, and was wearing a lot of eyeliner. She was also sitting on Gee’s bed and ignoring how Gee was glaring at her from xer desk. Gee had headphones on and was trying to work on xer art, but Pete and Lindsey were being loud and playing bass. 

 

Pete and Lindsey had also traded clothes, kind of, so Pete was wearing Lindsey’s plaid skirt and Lindsey was wearing a pair of Gee’s jeans because Pete’s jeans were too tight. 

 

Pete looked pretty in a skirt. Mikey shook their head, trying not to think about Pete in a skirt of Pete being pretty, because Pete was dating Patrick and there was enough drama in their friend group already without Mikey adding to it. 

 

“I got kicked out because they thought I was a witch.” Lindsey said, leaning over and showing Pete what she was supposed to be playing. Lindsey had given her bass to Dallon, because Dallon was able to figure out how to play on their own and Mikey was patient enough to just watch and wait. Pete, however, was a fucking trainwreck and she kept trying to make up her own basslines. 

 

She also kept loudly saying “fucking shit nuggets” whenever she hit the bass and it made that weird vibrating noise through the amp. Gee and Mikey had resorted to throwing dirty clothes at her to try and get her to shut up, because they weren’t supposed to swear and they didn’t want their parents to overhear. 

 

Pete started playing her own bassline again. “Aren’t you a witch, though?”

 

“I practice witchcraft, yeah, but not, like, hardcore or anything.” Lindsey said. “I might get some tarot cards for Christmas and then I can tell you how you’ll die, but right now I just have a few candles and some spell ingredients. And the internet.”

 

“I know how Pete’s gonna die.” Gee said. “I’m gonna kill her if she doesn’t keep making shitty basslines.”

 

“Like you could do any better, Gee.” Mikey said, rolling their eyes. Gee flipped them off. “Shut up. Guitar parts are hard.”

 

“Do we have any more picks?” Dallon asked, holding up their hand and wiggling their fingers around. “I can’t feel my fingers any more.”

 

“Gee, check your desk.” Mikey said, getting up and walking over to Gee’s desk, carefully sorting through xer art. Mikey was pretty sure that Gee had some leftover picks from xer band days, they just didn’t know where they were. It took a while, but eventually Mikey found the picks and handed them over to Dallon. Dallon took one and continued playing. They were usually quiet, but this was something new and Mikey knew it had to do with the whole Brendon and Spencer situation. Mikey also knew that asking Dallon about it now was probably not the best idea, so they just offered Lindsey and Pete a pick each and sat back down beside Dallon on their own bed. Dallon had Mikey’s laptop open, and was watching a bass cover for a song that Mikey didn’t know all that well. Dallon was surprisingly good at figuring out the tabs, and they played along with the video with a concentrated scowl on their face. 

 

Mikey watched over their shoulder, focusing on Dallon’s hands as well as the person doing the cover. They bit at their fingernail which was getting dangerously short, but that didn’t stop them from continuing their habit. “So, I should probably warn you guys that youth group is kind of… not super fun? I mean, if Ray and Frank are there it’s usually fine because me and Gee just hang out in the back with them, but otherwise it’s kind of lame. We’re not friends with anyone else who goes there, partially because of the whole gay thing.”

 

“What’s the other reason?” Pete said. Mikey shrugged. “We’re weird, I guess? We don’t go to a high school downtown and we didn’t go to the Catholic elementary school with everyone else who goes there.”

 

“Also because me and Mikey are kind of weird.” Gee said. “No one else there is gonna have dyed hair or be wearing all black, you know.”

 

“So, I should probably give Lindsey her clothes back?” Pete asked, and Gee and Mikey both nodded. Gee’s eyes were narrowed at Pete, but she didn’t seem to notice, and instead handed her guitar to Lindsey before standing up on Gee’s bed and dropping Lindsey’s skirt to her ankles. Mikey became very interested in the bass cover video that Dallon had been watching. 

 

“Please don’t strip on my bed.” Gee said, exasperated with the whole situation. Pete pulled her shirt over her head. “Too late for that. Besides, it’s not like I’m naked. You’ve seen nipples before, right?”

 

“Mikey, I’m banning Pete from our room now.” Gee said. Mikey gave Gee a thumbs up without looking xem in the eye, because they were afraid they’d look at Pete and end up staring at Pete if they did. Pete grabbed her pants off the ground and put them back on. She sat down on the bed, shirtless, and turned to Lindsey. “Can I get my shirt back, now?”

 

“I’m not taking it off in front of everyone.” Lindsey said. She turned around and leaned back to give Gee a quick kiss. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go put my shirt back on so Pete can have hers.”

 

She ducked into the bathroom across the hall from Gee and Mikey’s room, and came back a few minutes later in her original shirt. She tossed Pete’s shirt over to her, and sat back down on her spot on Gee’s bed. “We should really do the changing clothes thing more often. It’s kind of fun, to just put on someone else’s clothes and not give a fuck.”

 

“Didn’t someone come up with the idea to go to the mall and try on shit for fun one weekend?” Gee asked. Lindsey nodded. “Yeah, we should make that actually happen.”

 

“After Halloween, though, because we’re doing Frank’s birthday shit for Halloween first.” Mikey said. Dallon was back to playing out the bassline of their choosing. Mikey frowned. They wanted to talk to Dallon, preferably without an audience, because Dallon didn’t seem like they were doing okay. They looked over at Gee, who nodded and said, “hey, Pete, Lindsey, do you guys wanna go upstairs for a bit, just to get out of the basement?”

 

Lindsey looked confused, but agreed. Pete looked between Dallon and Mikey, like she knew something was up, but she didn’t say anything out loud. Lindsey flicked her arm. “Come on, maybe Gee’s mom has food. The Ways actually have good snack food, which is fucking great.”

 

Pete still didn’t look convinced, but she let Lindsey and Gee drag her out of the room so that Dallon and Mikey were alone. As soon as Pete disappeared around the corner, Mikey turned to Dallon and they wrapped their hand around the neck of Lindsey’s bass. “Dude, talk to me. You’re being weirdly quiet.”

 

“I don’t know how much I can tell you.” Dallon said. Mikey let go of Bert McCracken and sat back. “I’m not going to tell anyone anything you tell me. I can keep secrets.”

 

“I know, but I don’t want you to start looking at me or Spencer or Brendon differently because of anything I say.” Dallon said. “We’ve known each other since we were all kids, and I know what’s going on with Brendon, probably, but I don’t want you to think less of zir or anything.”

 

“I won’t.” Mikey said. “I’m a very non-judgemental person.”

 

Dallon stared at them. Mikey shrugged. “What? I’m still hanging out with you, even though the rest of GSA kinda decided that you’re the villain here.”

 

“I kind of  _ am  _ the villain here.” Dallon said. “I was the one who kissed Brendon, so I was the one cheating on Spencer, and I’m the reason Brendon isn’t hanging out with you guys anymore and the reason Spencer’s… I don’t even know how Spencer’s doing because he still isn’t responding to me.”

 

“So it’s a clusterfuck.” Mikey said. “But it’s not all your clusterfuck, and you shouldn’t blame yourself for everything.”

 

“But I do.” Dallon said. Mikey let out a sigh. “Look, Dallon, I can try talking to Spencer if you want, and convince him to at least respond to you.”

 

“It’s not Spencer--I mean, it is, a little, but it’s more about Brendon.” Dallon said. They let out a sigh, dropping their head into their hands. “Brendon… ze doesn’t have a great home situation. Ze’s not out to zir parents for the same reasons I am, but zir parents are really restrictive. And controlling and shit. Ze’s not supposed to hang out with people who zer parents don’t know, and ze’s not supposed to date until ze’s eighteen, and even then ze has to have a chaperone on any dates.”

 

“But, didn’t Brendon date people before?” Mikey asked. Dallon nodded. “Yeah, because Brendon’s sneaky like that. But, like, other than me and Spencer, ze doesn’t have any friends that are still here. Everyone in drama hates zer a little, because ze takes it seriously, and the rest of the school just thinks ze’s… you know. You’re Gee’s little sibling.”

 

“Right.” Mikey said. They knew that life sucked more for transfeminine people, because there was a bunch of hypermasculine bullshit drilled into everyone’s heads from the time they were born, and people were told that being feminine meant that someone was lesser. Mikey frowned, and bit on their nail. “So, what, should we try to get you three back to talking, or…?”

 

“I just don’t want Brendon to be alone.” Dallon said. They were staring at their shoes now, hugging Lindsey’s bass close to their chest. “And I don’t want to hurt Spencer, more than I have, because Spencer’s… Spencer deserves better.”

 

Mikey put their hand on Dallon’s shoulder. “I’ll figure something out.”

 

“Thanks.” Dallon said. A few moments later, as though xe had read Mikey’s mind, Gee peered in through the door and said, “hey, bring up Lindsey’s bass and gear, mom’s ready to go.”

 

“Okay.” Mikey said. “We’ll be up in a minute.”

 

Mikey and Dallon packed Lindsey’s bass into it’s tattered, pin covered case, and grabbed the amp as well. Mikey closed their laptop and placed it carefully on the ground. They grabbed the amp, and Dallon grabbed Bert McCracken the bass, and the two of them headed up the stairs. Their mom, Gee, Lindsey, and Pete were waiting by the car. Mikey’s mom directed Mikey and Dallon to put the bass and amp in the trunk of the car, and then they all got into the minivan. 

 

They dropped Lindsey off at her house and then headed to the church. Mikey’s mom dropped Mikey and their friends off at the Youth Group entrance on the far side of the church. Once their mom drove off, Pete grinned and shoved her hands into her pockets. “Right, so this is gonna be fun. Let’s go scare some small Christian babies.”

 

“Let’s try to not scare the small Christian babies, because when you leave, me and Gee are still gonna have to deal with them.” Mikey said. Gee nodded in agreement, and Pete rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll be nice. But not, like, super nice.”

 

Gee shook xer head, and nudged Mikey forward, towards the door. This was normal; both of them were bad about going in somewhere, but they both knew they had to. Mikey took a deep breath and grabbed the door, pushing it open. Immediately, they were hit with the smell of cheap pizza and the sounds of a large amount of teenagers mingling around and talking about whatever it was straight people talked about. Immediately, Dallon, Gee, and Mikey all clumped closer to Pete, who was the only one exuding confidence. She wrapped an arm around Mikey’s shoulders. “This isn’t too bad. They even have pizza.”

 

“You have to pay for the pizza.” Gee said. “I’m gonna go see if Ray or Frank are here.”

 

“I’ll come with you.” Mikey said, because letting Gee wander around the youth area alone. People wouldn’t do anything to Gee directly, but there were some people who said horrible, shitty things to Gee just because they thought Gee was queer. Gee was queer, but that didn’t mean that xe deserved to hear a bunch of bullshit. 

 

“I’m not really hungry, so, yeah. I’ll come with.” Dallon said. Mikey couldn’t tell if they just didn’t want to hang out alone with Pete or if they were just clinging to Mikey because Mikey wasn’t being an asshole to them. Mikey didn’t see why anyone else, except Spencer, was being an asshole to Dallon. They’d admitted they were wrong, and were trying to apologise, and they clearly felt like shit about the whole thing. Mikey even felt bad for Brendon; regardless of zir home situation, ze was drunk when it happened, and ze didn’t seem like the person to sabotage a relationship otherwise. 

 

Pete looked at the three of them and shrugged. “Well, I’ve got money, so I’m gonna get some pizza. Let me know if Ray and Frank are here, I’ll come say hey or whatever.”

 

“Good luck,” Gee said, and then led Mikey and Dallon into the main room, where even more people were hanging around. Some were eating pizza, some had cans of soda in their hands. Gee headed to the back, where the sound booth was, and where Ray--and now Frank--usually hung out. Ray had been left in charge of the sound booth when she was a freshman, and Gee had been there as well, supposedly to help, but really Gee just hung out back there because Ray was there and Ray was better than any other option. 

 

Ray and Frank were there, each with two slices of cheese pizza, with two cans of Sprite sitting between them. Frank grinned up at Gee. “Hey, fucker, you decided to show up!”

 

Ray rolled her eyes. “Frank, don’t swear in a church.”

 

“Oh, like you weren’t swearing three seconds ago before they walked in.” Frank said, taking a large bite of pizza. While chewing, he said, “don’t be a hypocrite, that’s how you go to hell.”

 

“Okay, so I was swearing, but at least I was smart enough to be quiet about it.” Ray said. She turned and looked up at Mikey, Gee, and Dallon. “If you guys wanna go get pizza, we’ll hold the spots for you.”

 

“I’m good, I’ll probably just have a soda or something.” Gee said, and sat down beside Ray. Ray and Mikey made eye contact that Gee didn’t see, and Mikey nodded. “Me and Dallon can get food. I’ll make sure Pete hasn’t done anything stupid yet.”

 

“Pete’s here?” Frank raised an eyebrow, and Mikey nodded at him. “Yeah. Pete’s getting pizza.”

 

“Of course she--they?” Frank made a confused face. “What pronouns am I supposed to use for Pete, even in a church?”

 

“Probably whatever she tells you to use.” Gee said, patting Frank’s head. Frank subtly flipped Gee off. Before the two of them could get into a (friendly) argument, Mikey pulled Dallon away and back towards the line of people who were paying for their slices of pizza. Pete was at the front of the line, and she pulled Mikey and Dallon in before they could just slink back to the back and accept their fate. The people behind Pete glared. Pete grinned at them. “Mikey’s my friend, don’t worry.”

 

“ _ Michelle’s _ weird. And cutting isn’t proper.” The guy sneered. Pete rolled her beautiful golden brown eyes. “Dude, isn’t there some line in your Bible thing that’s like,  _ the first will be last and the last will be first _ ? Chill. And stop calling Mikey Michelle, that’s just wrong.”

 

“Mikey’s a boy name, and Michelle’s not a boy.” The guy said, crossing his arms over his chest. “It would be one thing if she wanted to be called Shelly or something, but Mikey’s not a girl name. Her weird older brother--he’s the one wearing makeup, probably--must have told her some lie about boy names being acceptable for girls.”

 

Mikey, who had heard all of this before, just in different words, wasn’t affected any more. Pete, who hadn’t, was affected. She stared at the guy, her brows furrowed and her mouth turned down in a frown. “Are you serious? It’s a name. Who cares?”

 

“It’s wrong.” The guy said. “Girls should be girls and boys should be boys. God made people that way, and it’s rude to try and go against His plan for us.”

 

Three things happened then. One: Mikey and Dallon looked at each other and had a moment of clear telepathy where they knew shit was about to get very, very not good. Two: Pete jumped at the guy, with every intention of punching his nose straight off. Three: Dallon jumped in between Pete and the guy, grabbing Pete around the waist and getting punched in the jaw for their efforts. As soon as she realised that Dallon was holding her, though, Pete calmed down and dropped her fists. The other guy was just staring at her, looking a little shell shocked. 

 

“What is wrong with you?” One of the guy’s friends asked. Pete crossed her arms over her chest. “Anger issues, my dude. Also, your friend’s kind of a huge dick.”

 

She then turned around and bought three slices of pizza and a Coke. The youth group intern running the food counter didn’t even flinch. Dallon and Mikey got their food as well, Dallon rubbing their jaw where Pete had hit them. Mikey got Gee a drink as well, reminding themselves to make Gee pay them back later. 

 

Mikey and Dallon flanked Pete, who was angrily eating pizza while she walked, and the three returned to Ray, Frank, and Gee. Mikey sat down beside their older sibling, handed xem xer drink, and said, “so, Pete might get kicked out of youth group.”

 

“What?” Gee said, frowning. Xe turned to Pete. “What did you do?”

 

“Some dick face was being a, well, a dick face, and I almost punched him.” Pete said. “I punched Dallon instead, because they got between us.”

 

“Oh, well, it could’ve been worse.” Frank said. Mikey had a feeling that Frank was not on team Dallon for the whole Brendon-Dallon-Spencer clusterfuck that was going down. They didn’t say anything, and just bit into their pizza. Sometimes it was best to just not get involved, and to let people figure their shit out on their own. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	28. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things Happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has NSFW content, so read at your own discretion. Also, please note the warnings/tags; they apply for this chapter.

Trick or treating, it turned out, was a lot more fun in a big neighbourhood with a lot of houses and a lot of people to go with. Getting drunk on a playground and eating candy, of course, was even more fun. No one was super drunk to the point of being ridiculous, but everyone (excluding Andy and Dallon, who weren’t drinking and were instead pretending to be responsible adults) was buzzed enough that there was no tension. Frank even was even sitting between Dallon and Brendon, and trying to get Brendon to give him some of her Twizzlers. 

 

“Hey, hey, what if we went into the woods and pretended like it was the Hunger Games or some shit?” Pete asked, spreading out so that they were in both Mikey’s and Patrick’s laps. Mikey stared down at them, offering them a KitKat. “Doesn’t that get people killed, Pete?”

 

“Yeah, but, like, consider this,” Pete said, and then ate the KitKat. “It’s Halloween and this is the perfect time for a horror story.”

 

“I mean, if we want a horror story, we should make Dallon and Spencer go in first, because one of them will probably kill the other.” Gee said. Neither Dallon nor Spencer looked impressed. Mikey pushed Pete off of their lap. “I can go with them.”

 

“You sure?” Gee asked, looking concerned. Mikey figured that Gee had come up with some plan involving Spencer and Dallon going into the woods, getting scared or something, and getting their shit together. It was a good plan, but Mikey had a better one. They nodded at their sibling. “Yeah. I’ll even bring Brendon, make it a real experience.”

 

“This is a bad idea.” Pete said, and took another drink from the bottle nearest them. Mikey stood up and headed over to Brendon, Frank, and Dallon. Spencer got up and followed Mikey over, even though he looked suspicious of the whole thing. Mikey extended a hand to Brendon. “It’ll be fun.”

 

“If you guys aren’t all back in like ten minutes I’m coming in after you.” Pete called out as Mikey attempted to pull Brendon up without either of them falling. Somehow, they succeeded, and Dallon got up on their own because Dallon hadn’t been drinking, and the four of them headed towards the trees. Mikey through a thumbs up over their shoulder. 

 

Once the four of them were far enough into the hiking trail that they couldn’t hear their other friends, Mikey stopped and turned around to face their three friends. They crossed their arms over their chest. “Right. I brought you three out here for an intervention. Sort your shit out or we don’t go back.”

 

“I could just turn around.” Spencer said. “It’s not like you could stop me.”

 

“I can scream surprisingly loud, and I’m pretty sure Gee and Pete would be willing to help.” Mikey said. They narrowed their eyes. “Now talk.”

 

“I’m sorry I kissed Brendon.” Dallon said. “And I’m sorry I cheated on you and that I wasn’t a good… date person or whatever.”

 

“You should be.” Spencer spat out. He swallowed, and then seemed to deflate. “But I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance to apologise. And, Brendon, I’m sorry I made you think we couldn’t be friends.”

 

“I made out with your date friend person!” Brendon said, gesturing at Dallon. “You’re not supposed to want to be my friend!”

 

“I want to be your friend, though.” Spencer said. “Because I like you, and I think you’re pretty great, and it was kind of shitty to not tell you that me and Dallon were dating when Mikey already knew.”

 

Spencer turned to Mikey. “No offense, but you haven’t been our friend for that long. Brendon’s known me since we were tiny.”

 

“It’s cool.” Mikey said, and shrugged. They bit at their pinky nail, and took a deep breath. “But we’re not done here. You three have some really weird, pent up feelings, and honestly, everyone else is getting tired of your shit. So, confession time. Nothing leaves this forest unless you want it to.”

 

“You’re not gonna go back and tell everyone?” Brendon asked. Mikey shook their head. “No. I’m just here to make sure no one dies.”

 

Brendon let out a deep breath and turned to Dallon. “I still like you. I think. I’m also pretty sure I’m a little in love with Spencer, which is unfortunate because the two of you were really good for each other until I got selfish and decided to fuck shit up. And I’m sorry if telling you this messes us all up more than we already were, but Mikey said we needed to get shit off our chests, so… I’m getting shit off my chest.”

 

“I still like you, too.” Dallon said, their voice wavering in the still of the forest at night. “And Spencer. And I don’t know if it’s worse to have one of you or neither of you.”

 

“Why can’t you have both?” Spencer asked, quietly, his hands in his pockets and not looking at anyone. “I mean, I’ve heard of people dating multiple people at the same time. It could work. Maybe.”

 

“Oh yeah, me and Frank talked about polyamory one time.” Brendon said. “He was in the same place as me, you know. Crushing on someone already in a relationship…”

 

Everyone else was looking at Brendon, who seemed to realise what she’d just said and laughed awkwardly. “Um. I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t… don’t mention that to anyone else. Or Frank.”

 

“No problem.” Mikey said. They were going to ask Frank about the whole dating someone in a relationship thing later, because that was currently their problem with Pete. They bit at their nail again. “So, I’ll let the three of you work out the whole dating each other thing and go back so that no one comes out here after you.”

 

“Thanks Mikey.” Dallon said. Mikey smiled, and gave them a hug as they passed. They were about halfway back to everyone else when they almost collided with Pete. Pete reached out and grabbed their shoulder before they could fall, and pulled them back up, grinning loosely down at them. “Hey, Mikeyway. You’re alive.”

 

“Duh.” Mikey rolled their eyes. They were thirsty, and shaking. That whole thing with Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer had given them more anxiety than they’d anticipated. Luckily, Pete had a half empty bottle of something. Mikey grabbed it from them and took a long sip, feeling the alcohol buzz through their veins. They managed a smile up at Pete. “I had a plan.”

 

“Of course you did.” Pete said. Their eyes were on Mikey’s mouth, and Mikey worried that their skeleton makeup had smeared to the point of no return. Gee had worked really hard to make sure that xe and Mikey looked dead. Xe’d even made jackets for them. They were some kind of dead parade members. Mikey had Gee’s old trombone from middle school, and Gee had a baton. 

 

“We should go back.” Mikey said. Pete was still staring at their mouth. It was weird. Pete’s eyes flicked up to Mikey’s, catching the moonlight and flashing gold in the dark. Mikey’s heart lurched in their chest and they took another drink from the bottle, assuming it was anxiety and hoping that the alcohol would help. 

 

Pete put their hand on top of Mikey’s, slowly taking the bottle back and taking a drink from it. They nodded, looking a little out of it. “We should… we should go back.”

 

“Yeah.” Mikey said, and then leaned down and kissed Pete. Pete kissed back, pulling Mikey over so that Pete’s back was against a tree. Mikey ground up against Pete, pressing their tongue to Pete’s mouth and then inside when Pete parted their lips and thrust their hips up against Mikey’s. 

 

Mikey pulled back. “If we're going to do this, we probably shouldn't do it here. People could see us.”

 

“I'm into that.” Pete said, and tried to kiss Mikey again. Mikey leaned away from them. “I'm not against it, but… I don't think we should have sex in the woods. It's… it's probably not sanitary.”

 

“Right.” Pete nodded, looking at Mikey's mouth again. So maybe it wasn't a face paint thing. Maybe it was a Pete wanting to kiss Mikey thing. Which was unfortunate because Mikey had discovered that they liked kissing Pete but they knew that they shouldn't be kissing Pete. For so many reasons. They pulled away from Pete. “So, do we just go back there, tell everyone that Dallon, Spencer, and Brendon sorted their shit out, and then… disappear?”

 

“There's a bathroom.” Pete said. “We can sneak in there. I'll pretend I drank too much or something and need to throw up.”

 

“What about Patrick?” Mikey asked. Pete laughed. “Patrick won't care. Well, I mean, he will care but like, not enough to follow us in there.”

 

That wasn’t what Mikey had meant, exactly, but they couldn’t really argue with Pete when they were standing there and looking really inviting. So they nodded, and followed Pete back to the group. The others bought both of the stories (one of which was true) that Mikey and Pete told, and then the two of them were headed to the bathrooms.

 

Mikey didn’t pay attention to which one they went to. Pete got up on the sink and pulled Mikey in. There was making out, an attempt to get out of costume which was quickly abandoned in the effort to get down to each other’s genitals. At some point, they switched positions and Pete pulled a condom out of their… out of somewhere, and put it on. Mikey rode Pete, their legs around Pete’s waist and breathing heavily into their neck, trying to kiss them but being unable to because they were rocking against each other.

 

Pete came first, with a weird growly sound, and they awkwardly took the condom off and just left it on the floor of the bathroom before getting down on their knees and licking across Mikey’s vagina. It was weird, different from their time with Gabe, but eventually Pete seemed to figure out what they were doing, and Mikey grabbed onto the short pink strands of Pete’s hair and whined as they orgasmed, kind of on Pete’s face. 

 

Pete came up and kissed Mikey, their dick brushing Mikey’s crotch. Mikey made a noise at the contact, but didn’t pull away. 

 

Eventually, Pete pulled back, half hard again, and pulled up their pants. Mikey wasn’t sure exactly what Pete was supposed to be. Maybe a bat or a vampire. Or a vampire bat. They were sure they knew earlier. 

 

Mikey pulled their pants up as well and hopped off the sink, barely missing stepping on the used condom. They turned to Pete. “That was pretty okay.”

 

“I’m a little insulted.” Pete frowned. Mikey shrugged. “I’m a little drunk. So are you.”

 

“Yeah.” Pete nodded, and kissed Mikey. They made out for a while, until Pete was hard and Mikey was… aroused again. Mikey had no idea what terminology to use for their horny shit. It wasn’t like sex ed taught them anything. 

 

They undid Pete’s zipper and jerked them off, then wiped their hand on a paper towel and let Pete finger them until they came again. And then, once Pete had gotten all of Mikey’s orgasm (seriously, there had to be words for this shit) off their hand, the two returned to the group. Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon had returned, all of them looking pretty well kissed. Mikey would congratulate them all later, when they weren’t trying to figure out what had just happened with them and Pete.

 

Gee nudged their shoulder. “You okay, Mikes?”

 

“Yeah, tired.” Mikey said, because they didn’t have a better excuse. Gee nodded. “Yeah, we should probably head to Ray’s. Everyone finish your drinks, and hide the rest in the back of Joe’s car. Ray’s mom can’t know we actually drank anything.”

 

“Gee, my friend, we all smell like a bar.” Frank said, giggling. Mikey figured that Frank was a silly drunk, which was cool. At least he wasn’t a sad drunk.

 

Mikey nodded. “Yeah, a spooky bar.”

 

Gee shoved them with xer shoulder. “You fucking nerd. Come on, let’s go to bed before anyone does something stupid.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	29. mikey is a horrible student

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***deep sigh*** These guys are all trainwrecks. Please enjoy!

Mikey and Pete didn't talk about what happened on Halloween. Mikey was fine with that, except for the fact that they could no longer hide their crush on Pete from themselves. They let out a sigh and headed to twitter, because for some reason twitter was a good venting system for them. 

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ i kno i’m a literal child but @ all my followers do urself a favour and don't crush on people u cant have _

 

**_t(-.-t)_ ** _ responded to your tweet _

**_@mikey_wavy_ ** _ : i’m sorry bb i’m sure u’ll find someone eventually  _

 

Mikey smiled down at their phone. They still had a bit of an internet crush on @pwheezie, but it had faded for a bit ever since all their real life drama started up. It was nice to get to talk to @pwheezie again, even if Mikey knew they'd never have a chance with her. They shifted in their chair, doing what they could to not let their Spanish teacher know that they were tweeting instead of paying attention to what she was saying. 

 

-private message from  **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** -

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : pay attention oh my god

**mieky** : yes because ur paying so much attention since ur also texting me…….

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i took out my phone to tell you to pay attention shut the fuck up

**mieky** : no

**mieky** : and i will do what i want

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m not explaining this shit to you then 

 

- **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** changed the name of the group to  **mikey is a horrible student** -

 

**p_wheezie** : what

**p_wheezie** : what did they do

**p_wheezie** : frank?????

**mieky** : he put his phone up he was giving me the eyes emoji for texting in class

**p_wheezie** : ok but… everyone texts in class

**brebdo** : not dallon dallon is a pure person who listens to teachers

**spooncer** : so is that why u 2 are skipping class without me??? because rude

**brebdo** : u said you had a test??

**spooncer** : i did but i finished and now we’re not allowed to leave ://///

**brebdo** : i’ll come find u at the end of the period

**brebdo** : g2g dallon is being Distracting again ;)

**p_wheezie** : did brendon just imply that she’s making out w/ dallon in the group chat

**spooncer** : welcome to the wonderful world of polyamory

**spooncer** : my mom thinks i just really like sleepovers

**mieky** : spencer no

**spooncer** : spencer yes

**joetrohfro** : ok but seriously how are any of you passing ur classes because my phone is constantly getting notifications and i’m growing concerned

**p_wheezie** : u just gotta stop giving a shit my man joe

**joetrohfro** : i will stop giving a shit when u stop living in patrick’s butt

**p_wheezie** : u can say ass it’s okay i won’t tell anyone

**joetrohfro** : #letjoesayass

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**mieky** : it’s not your jar also aren’t u in art rn

**zoid** : yes which is why i can text 

**zoid** : and there’s nothing in the rules that says i can’t call someone out even when i don’t own the jar

**mieky** : joe u don’t owe me anything

**joetrohfro** : cool beans

**joetrohfro** : are we doing anything now that halloween is over

**p_wheezie** : no joe we’re all hunkering down and doing homework, preparing for exams and shit

**joetrohfro** : pete have you ever studied for anything in your life

**p_wheezie** : no

**mieky** : pete i hope you fail all of your exams you deserve it for being That Asshole who doesn’t study and passes shit anyway

**zoid** : Yikes™ mikey is a salt 

**mieky** : shhhh this is what happens when i’m stressed

**mieky** : from like school and shit life is fine in the way house

**zoid** : ….that’s not suspicious

**mieky** : i was just specifying this lynz let me Live

**zoid** : No

**mieky** : i flip you off in spirit

**mieky** : also i need to pay attention now because we’re going over new shit and frank keeps kicking my leg

**zoid** : have fun mieky

**mieky** : was that on purpose

**p_wheezie** : MIKEY PUT YOUR OGIBE AWAY

**p_wheezie** : *PHONE

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **OGIBE** -

 

**p_wheezie** : fuck u

**mieky** : ;)

 

Mikey put their phone down, kicked Frank back, and started paying attention to what Ms. Carzanno was saying to the class. It was something about nouns, or how nouns had genders, which was stupid. Nouns were nouns. Lamps didn’t have a fucking gender because a lamp was a lamp and it didn’t exist and therefore didn’t understand the concept of a gender.

 

...Mikey needed to stop hanging out with Gee so much, because they were starting to think like xer. 

 

When the bell rang, Frank slid over onto Mikey’s desk before they could pack up their things. He poked Mikey in the forehead. “Hey, Mikey, you wanna sneak off campus and get food with me and Joe and some other people?”

 

“Why?” Mikey asked. Frank rolled his eyes. “Because free food. Also, I need to get more cigarettes and I can’t just walk to Huck’s after school. Please, Mikey? I’ll buy your food.”

 

“Fine.” Mikey said, and grabbed their stuff before following Frank out of the room. Joe, Patrick, and Pete were already hanging out by Joe’s minivan, sitting in the open trunk. Joe jumped up first, pulling Patrick and Pete out of the trunk before either of them could try to climb into the car through the back seats. Frank climbed in through the back seats, and got hit in the ass with a stray shoe. Mikey had no idea where the shoe came from or whose shoe it was. They climbed into the back seat through the actual car door.

 

Pete joined them in the back seat, with Frank in the middle and Patrick sitting up front with Joe. They ended up blasting High School Musical all the way there, and got drive through Taco Bell and ate it in an empty gas station stand at Huck’s. Frank dragged Mikey inside to get cigarettes once everyone was done eating, and Joe promised not to drive off without them. 

 

“I can’t believe this place doesn’t ID people,” Frank whispered. He was currently standing in front of the beef jerky, which was an obvious front since Frank didn’t eat meat. Mikey grabbed a pack and considered it for a moment, ignoring Frank glaring at them. Frank poked Mikey’s ankle with his foot. “Dude, that’s gross. If you’re gonna eat meat, at least eat something quality.”

 

“We’re in a gas station, Frank. I’m not expecting quality meat.” Mikey said. They nudged the price tag with their jerky. “Besides, it’s on sale for a dollar. It’s a deal.”

 

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only one in the car who still eats meat.” Frank said, and started heading towards the counter. Frank was weird about buying cigarettes. He never went straight to the front of the store, but he also never bought anything else with the cigarettes. Something about how his mom made him show her his food receipts, and he didn’t want her to know that he smoked. 

 

Mikey was pretty sure that anyone would know Frank smoked, because his jackets always smelled like Marlboros and he coughed a lot. 

 

“You two find everything okay?” The man behind the counter asked. He was about thirty, with glasses and bags under his eyes. He’d been working there for at least two years. Mikey was pretty sure he was dead inside. 

 

Frank nodded. “We’re seperate. Um, can I get a thing of Marlboro lights? The gold ones.”

 

“Yeah, sure,” the cashier said, only squinting at Frank for a few seconds before grabbing the cigarettes and ringing Frank up. Frank dug out his wallet from the pocket of one of his jackets and handed over a five and a one, and then scooped the change back into the pocket without putting it in his wallet. Mikey bought their jerky as well, and opened it on their way out of Huck’s. Frank glared at them, an unlit cigarette in their mouth, but Mikey just bit off a piece of jerky and winked at him.

 

“You’re disgusting.” Frank said. Mikey ripped off another piece of jerky with their teeth. “I don’t care. You’re equally as disgusting.”

 

“Doesn’t Gee smoke too?” Frank said as they got in the car. Mikey nodded. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s not disgusting.”

 

“Hey, no smoking in my car.” Joe said, turning around and backing them out onto the road. A car honked and Patrick leaned out the passenger window, flipping them off. Joe did the same. “My mom’s using it this weekend to do some carpooling shit with my brother’s cub scout group or whatever. I don’t know. But basically, I can’t have this smell like anything weird or she’ll ask questions.”

 

“Fine, I’ll wait until we get back to the parking lot to smoke.” Frank rolled his eyes, and put the cigarette back in the pack, spinning the pack around in his hand. 

 

Frank stayed out in the parking lot alone, and the other four headed back inside. Joe and Patrick had a class in the trailers, so they slipped around behind the school to wait outside their respective classes. That left Pete and Mikey alone to head back inside. Mikey pulled out their phone, intending to check twitter again, but Pete peered over their shoulder and Mikey locked their phone before Pete could see anything. 

 

“What're you hiding, Mikeyway?” Pete said, nudging their shoulder against Mikey's. Mikey pushed Pete back. “I'm hiding all my secrets, duh. And besides, you shouldn't look over someone's shoulder while they're on their phone.”

 

“Too bad.” Pete said, leaning against Mikey's shoulder. Mikey considered pushing them off, but there was no one else around them and they were right outside the entrance to the cafeteria. Mikey pulled off their backpack and dropped it on the ground by the wall. They leaned against it and pulled out their phone, opening twitter as Pete dropped their own bag and sat at Mikey's feet, leaning their head against Mikey's leg. Mikey leaned over and scratched the top of Pete’s head. 

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ shoutout to skipping boring ass school lunches and getting gas station food and taco bell with friends _

 

“Hey, wanna go make out behind the stage?” Pete said suddenly. There were still a few minutes before the bell rang to signal a class change. Mikey stared down at them. “Are you… are you serious? You want to hook up with me, in a school, in the middle of the day?”

 

“Yeah, why not?” Pete said. “It's not like I was gonna go back to class anyway.”

 

“Um,” Mikey said, thinking about how Patrick was out in a trailer somewhere, getting ready for his next class, and Pete was right here, asking to hook up with Mikey again. Mikey's heart thudded in their chest. “Um.”

 

“It's cool if you don't want to.” Pete said. They stood up, looking at Mikey's mouth. “I just thought, after Halloween, maybe this could be a thing? Maybe you wanted it to be a thing?”

 

Mikey bit at their nail, looking Pete up and down. They were wearing eyeliner, and their pink hair was fading to blonde. Their dark roots were starting to show, and there was a little bit of peach fuzz on their chin. Mikey bit their lip. They nodded. “Yeah, we should go to the drama room. And, um. Yeah.”

 

Pete nodded, and then leaned up on their toes and kissed Mikey as the bell rang. For a second, Mikey kissed Pete back, pulling Pete in by the short hairs at the back of their head. They pulled back quickly, though, before anyone could come out through the cafeteria doors and see Pete and Mikey kissing. They grabbed their bag and Pete's from the floor and said, “we should go inside. Before anyone asks where we are.”

 

Pete nodded. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it! Also, feel free to come and talk to me on tumblr (my url is brallencer there)


	30. Patrick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got to see the 1975 in concert last night, which was fun. Except then I didn't get home until like 1 in the morning and I had to get up early to finish my homework (which I did).
> 
> NaNoWriMo is over now, so I'm gonna start working on my other fics again. This is still somewhat on a queue, since I've written like 6 chapters ahead in this fic. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

“Lindsey’s going to college.” Gee said one morning while they were getting ready in the bathroom and Mikey was getting dressed in their bedroom. Now that it was the middle of November and getting close to below freezing in the mornings, the two had figured out a system where they didn’t need to change in the car any more. It was better for the both of them, and they could hide most of their clothes under jackets so that their parents couldn’t see if they happened to look outside.

 

“I know.” Mikey lifted their bedsheets, looking for their other shoe. “Have you seen my shoes?”

 

“Mikey, I’m having a crisis.” Gee let out a dramatic sigh from the bathroom. “I don’t care about your shoes. My girlfriend is going to to off to some college and forget about me because I’m boring and ugly and barely even a girl.”

 

“You’re more of a girl than I am.” Mikey said. “And my shoes are important. I don’t want my feet to fall off.”

 

“Mikey, I’m serious,” Gee said, and leaned out of the bathroom to stare at Mikey and prove just how serious xe was. Mikey sat up, looking around the room in hope of finding their shoe. “I know, Gee, and I hear you, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it. Lindsey likes you, obviously a lot, otherwise she wouldn’t be dating you. And you’re totally girl enough for her, because you’re totally a girl. Or, you’re a nonbinary girl, which is just a cooler kind of girl.”

 

“You have no idea what you’re saying.”

 

Mikey shook their head. “None at all. I think I’m too tired to think properly.”

 

“I’ll ask Ray.” Gee turned back to xer makeup. Mikey returned to searching for their shoe, and finally found it, lacing it up and grabbing their backpack from the floor right as Gee came out of the bathroom. Xe’d gone with a full face of makeup, including a soft pink blush and lipgloss, and that shiny shit that Mikey was pretty sure was called highlighter. Whatever. Xe looked like a girl. Mikey hoped that was what xe was going for. 

 

The drive to school was faster than usual, and so Mikey and Gee actually had time to hang out with their friends behind the school before rushing in. That morning, shivering from the cold front that had come in over the weekend and threatened the first snow of winter, it was Mikey, Gee, Frank, Patrick, Spencer, and Brendon outside. Mikey headed over to where Brendon was tucked into Spencer’s side, shivering in her high heels and tights and wearing a blazer that Mikey recognised as Dallon’s. Mikey leaned against the warm brick wall. “You know you’re allowed to wear pants, right?”

 

“There are no pants worthy of my ass,” Brendon said, pressing her legs together. Spencer looked up at the sky, which was an ugly grey colour. “Bren, you’re great and all, but Mikey’s right. You should really invest in some actual pants.”

 

“But consider this: I have amazing legs.”

 

“I’m aware.” Spencer nodded, tucking his face into Brendon’s neck. In heels, she was taller than Spencer, which was weird because Spencer didn’t look short. “I’m also aware that you can get pneumonia and die if you get too cold.”

 

“I’ve gotten pneumonia before, it wasn’t even that bad.” Frank said around a cigarette that he was trying desperately to light. His fingers were red, even though he was wearing three jackets and fingerless skeleton gloves. Frank nudged Gee with his elbow, trying not to shiver. “Gee, I’ll give you one if you light me.”

 

“Okay,” Gee said, and did as Frank requested. Frank handed xer a cigarette, and Gee lit xer’s off of Frank’s like a pro. Mikey was impressed. Frank looked equally as impressed. 

 

Patrick rubbed his arms. Frank poked him with his ankle. “You okay, man? You look cold.”

 

“I’m… I’m not cis.” Patrick said, and then clamped his--their?--mouth shut. Everyone was looking at them, though, and so they pulled their hat down so that their bangs were smushed against their forehead, and said, “I’m bigender. I switch between feeling male and feeling female, and I’m using she/her or he/him. I don’t really have a preference, because I switch between genders really fast sometimes, but, um. Try to use both? Without outing me, of course.”

 

“Yeah, sure, totally,” Gee said, nodding and blowing smoke out away from their face. “Who else knows?”

 

“Joe, Pete, Andy.” Patrick said, listing them out on her fingers. “And I’ll tell Ray in band class, and I guess you can tell Lindsey, right? Since you’re dating her?”

 

“Brendon or I can tell Dallon, if you’re okay with them knowing,” Spencer offered. Patrick nodded. She tucked her hair behind her ears and pulled out her phone to check the time. “We should probably go in soon. The first bell’s gonna ring in like a minute.”

 

“Yeah, but then we still have six minutes before we’re marked late.” Mikey said, even though they were starting to get cold and wanted a few minutes to study for their biology test that day. They didn’t want to go in, though, because part of them was afraid to run into Pete again. Hooking up with Pete while both of them were really drunk was one thing, but hooking up with Pete while they were both sober and in a place where, theoretically, anyone could walk in on them was another thing entirely. 

 

Mikey wasn’t about to call it off, though. They felt like a shitty person, of course, because they were hooking up with someone who wasn’t available, but they couldn’t stop themselves from doing it. It was weird. 

 

“Good point,” Brendon said, turning her attention to Spencer. “Wanna make out for six minutes and then make Dallon wish they didn’t go in early to talk to Veronica?”

 

“Duh,” Spencer said, and kissed Brendon, pulling her down. Mikey made a gagging face, and Frank and Patrick laughed. Gee rolled xer eyes, blowing a thin line of smoke up to the sky. “You’re so immature.”

 

“You’re like two years older than me,” Mikey said. “Eat my ass.”

 

Frank started coughing on smoke, and everyone who wasn’t Brendon and Spencer turned to watch and make sure he didn’t fall over and die. At this point, Frank starting to cough uncontrollably was normal, and no one in their friend group rushed to his assistance unless he fell down. 

 

After a few minutes, Frank leaned back against the wall, tapped the ash of his cigarette off so that it fell to the ground, and said, “I’m good,” before taking a short drag from his cigarette and blowing it everywhere. He giggled. “Wow, I can’t believe that Mikey saying ‘eat my ass’ almost killed me. What have I become?”

 

“An idiot,” Gee said, taking a final drag from xer cigarette before stomping it out on the ground. “But a loveable idiot, and our friend.”

 

“That’s gay.” Frank said, bumping shoulders with Gee. Spencer stopped kissing Brendon long enough to say, “not as gay as you,” and Frank proceeded to flip him off. Spencer was back to kissing Brendon, though, so he didn’t notice it.

 

Mikey pulled out their phone to see that there were two minutes until the late bell. They announced this out loud, and Frank rolled his eyes before dropping his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. Gee frowned, stubbing xer cigarette out on the wall. “Cigarette butts are litter, Frank, and they cause so many animals to die.”

 

“Are you expecting me to pick it up?” Frank asked. Patrick bent down and grabbed it off the ground. “Maybe, but xe was definitely implying that you’re a bad person if you don’t.”

 

“You didn’t even give me a chance,” Frank whined, following Patrick and Gee to the nearest trashcan to throw away their cigarette butts. Mikey, Spencer, and Brendon followed behind them, and the six teenagers headed into the school before parting ways. Frank and Mikey headed to their homeroom with Mr. Armstrong, who was still the coolest teacher and was making sure that everyone in class knew that the founding fathers were shitty people, no matter what Lin Manuel Miranda said in the Hamilton musical. 

 

“So, Laura’s guitarist has a thing he needs to do next weekend, and I’m gonna be replacing him for the show they’re playing at a bar downtown.” Frank said, grinning and giving away how excited he was about the whole thing. Mikey nodded. “That’s cool.”

 

“You should come, it’ll be fun,” Frank said. “Bring Gee, too. Xe seemed to think that Laura was the coolest person ever.”

 

“Frank, I’m pretty sure we’re all a little in love with Laura Jane Grace.” Mikey said. “But, yeah, I’ll see if me and Gee can go.”

 

“Thanks, man,” Frank said. As they were walking into class, his eyes lit up and he said, “oh! Pete wanted to know if you were interested in going to the soccer party on Friday? I don’t know why you’d go, but Andy and Joe are going, so at least there’ll be good weed if nothing else.”

 

“Maybe,” Mikey said, taking their seat in the back of the class. They pulled their phone out as the bell rang and Mr. Armstrong started checking people off on the attendance sheet. 

 

-private message to  **p_wheezie** -

 

**mieky** : why do u want me at the soccer thing

**p_wheezie** : bc we’re friends? and bc it could be fun idk

**p_wheezie** : patrick usually goes w/ me joe and andy but she has a thing

**mieky** : am i going to know anyone else?

**p_wheezie** : i mean u can bring bdsm if u wanna

**mieky** : pete what the fuck

**p_wheezie** : *bds

**p_wheezie** : sorry autocorrect made it look like the poly thing that is spence/bren/dallon was a lot kinkier than it needed to be

**mieky** : i’m telling them about that

**mieky** : but seriously other than u joe and andy am i going to know anyone there

**p_wheezie** : probably not but… do u really go to parties to socialise? or do u go for the getting trashed part

**p_wheezie** : bc this party is going to be Good

**mieky** : fine i’ll go

**p_wheezie** : <33333333 nice

 

Mikey let out a sigh and put their phone away. This was going to end well, they could tell already. Maybe if they could get Dallon to come with them, they wouldn’t be tempted to do anything with Pete at the soccer party. 

 

They made sure to get to drama class on time, so that they could save four seats in the back row for themselves and their friends. Dallon, Brendon, and Spencer came in a minute before the bell, all looking a little rumpled. Dallon even had what looked like a hickey poking out from under the collar of their shirt.

 

Mikey gave them a thumbs up as they came over, and Spencer was the only one to respond back. He did finger guns instead of a thumbs up, but that was okay because it was a similar message. Dallon just looked embarrassed and Brendon let out a laugh, propping her legs up in their lap. Spencer laced his fingers through Dallon’s. The three of them were adorable together, and Mikey was glad it seemed to be working out. 

 

“So, Mikey, you got any plans for the weekend, or are you and Gee just gonna hang out in the basement?” Brendon asked, switching which of her legs was on top. Mikey bit their fingernail. “Pete invited me to a party, and said I could bring people if I wanted to. You guys wanna go?”

 

Spencer and Dallon looked at each other. Brendon chewed on her lower lip. “Um, what kind of party?”

 

“The soccer team,” Mikey said. 

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Brendon asked. “People like us don’t really hang out with… with popular kids. It usually doesn’t end well.”

 

“Pete said I could invite you three, though,” Mikey said, their heart rate increasing. So this was what panicking in public felt like. Great. “They specifically said that you three could come with us. Spencer could even drive?”

 

“Mikey, we’re not… we’re not exactly the kind of people who should be at soccer parties,” Spencer said. Mikey ripped off enough of their nail that they started to bleed a little, and sucked at the wound. Spencer ran his thumb over the back of Dallon’s hand. “Sorry. I just don’t think… sorry.”

 

“It’s okay.” It was not okay. Mikey would deal with it, though, and they would just have self control and not hook up with Pete at the party. It would be fine.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it!!


	31. Killjoys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually know what Spencer's sister's names are. I'm pretty sure that the names I'm using came from a sunsetmog Brencer fic because I've read most of their fics. 
> 
> Also, finals are kicking my ass and I think I might be losing my voice.

-private message from  **brebdo** -

 

**brebdo** : ok i’m not saying i’ll go to pete’s soccer thing but why did u want us to come with so badly

**brebdo** : was it like an anxiety thing because i’ll go if that’s it

**mieky** : not really

**brebdo** : elaborate?

**mieky** : if u promise not to tell anyone else, because it was kind of a not good thing and i don’t think anyone should know like at all

**brebdo** : look

**brebdo** : i kno i’m a gossip but i promise u i can keep secrets

**brebdo** : i will give you all my records if i ever tell someone

**mieky** : i trust u

**brebdo** : ok

**brebdo** : so what is it

**mieky** : pete and i hooked up

**brebdo** : yo what the fuck

**mieky** : twice actually

**mieky** : and i’m afraid i’ll end up having sex with them again if i don’t have any other super close friends at the party

**mieky** : and i’m not dragging gee out to a sports bro party because xe has worse anxiety than i do

**brebdo** : wait did u not want to have sex with pete??? did they force u to do it?????

**mieky** : no we were just drunk the first time and we shouldn’t have done it anyway

**mieky** : i could always just not go

**brebdo** : nope

**brebdo** : i’ll talk to dal and spence and convince them to come with us

**brebdo** : we’ll be good influences i promise

**mieky** : thanks brendon

 

The soccer party was tomorrow. Mikey was hiding in the drama room and avoiding going to lunch, because they didn’t want to have to deal with people. They’d gotten their lunch before fleeing, and Ms. Jones had given them permission to hang out in the props room so long as they didn’t get their food on anything. 

 

About halfway through their lunch period, the props door opened and Laura came in. She stood beside Mikey for a moment before asking, “mind if I join you?”

 

“It’s whatever.” Mikey said. Laura sat down, settling in amongst the prop boxes on the floor. There were jackets hanging around their faces. Laura stretched her legs out into the middle of the room. “You’re doing okay, right? With all the high school bullshit?”

 

“I guess,” Mikey shrugged. “I got invited to a party and I’m not sure if it’s worth going.”

 

“It’s probably going to suck, because most high school parties suck. But, if you bring friends, you can always sneak out into the backyard of whoever’s house it is and do your own thing out there until it’s time to leave.”

 

“Is college better for like, the whole gay thing, or is that just a lie people tell us so we don’t complain too much?” Mikey asked, because they didn’t want to talk about their thing with Pete. It wasn’t even a thing. It was a thing that shouldn’t have been a thing in the first place. Laura shrugged. “For the most part. It depends on where you go, whether or not you can find people who are cool with you being you and all that. But, yeah, if you actually look into whatever school you’re planning to go to, and make sure it’s pro-gay, you should be fine.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“You’re a freshman, though, why’re you worried about college?” Laura asked. Mikey took a bite out of their burrito, which was lukewarm by this point and not very appealing. They didn’t have an answer, they were just feeling weird and anxious and not really in their own body. “Gee. Xe’s a junior, and xe’s probably going to college. I don’t want xer to end up somewhere shitty and hate it.”

 

“Xe’ll be fine,” Laura said, leaning over and ruffling Mikey’s hair, “but if xe wants to talk college shit, or if any of your friends want to, I can play the knowledgeable older sister part.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikey said. They finished their burrito and then the lunch bell rang. They left the drama room, and headed to their next class, barely avoiding Pete, who had been hanging outside the cafeteria doors with Patrick, Joe, and Andy. They had their arm around Patrick, and they were laughing at something one of their friends said. Mikey wasn’t the person Pete was interested in. They were just someone who was willing to put out. They didn’t want to be that person. They also wanted to kiss Pete again. 

 

It was all very confusing, and Mikey felt anxious for the rest of the day. 

 

-private chat to  **brebdo** -

 

**mieky** : r u going to come bc idk if i cna do it alone

**mieky** : *can

**brebdo** : yeah sure we’ll come

**brebdo** : i just need to convince my parents that i can go out on a friday they think i’m getting up to shady shit without them knowing

**brebdo** : i mean i totally am but shh

**mieky** : thanks

**mieky** : idk why but i’m freaking out a lot

**brebdo** : you wanna come hang out with me dallon and spence? we’re not doing anything coupley just procrastinating on homework at spencer’s house

**mieky** : let me ask gee since xe’s driving me 

 

Mikey poked Gee’s elbow. “Hey, Gee, can I go to Spencer’s house?”

 

“Why?” Gee asked, turning onto the loop thing that took them off of the highway and onto the road that took them home. “Doesn’t Spencer live on the other side of school or something?”

 

“Yeah, but I just got invited.” Mikey said, because that seemed like the appropriate response. Gee let out a sigh and pulled over to turn around and get back on the highway, which wasn’t a highway in anything other than name. It was only two lanes on each side of the road, and it wasn’t heavily travelled like traditional, big city highways were. But it was the closest thing they had to a highway in their town, and so everyone referred to it as the highway. 

 

“Fine.” Gee said. “What’s the address?”

 

Mikey gave Gee Spencer’s address, after getting it from Brendon, and Gee drove them back over to where Spencer lived. Mikey got out of the car, taking their backpack with them, and thanked Gee for being willing to drive them around and come up with excuses for why they didn’t come directly home from school every day. 

 

Mikey was pretty sure that their parents wouldn’t be against Mikey hanging out with Brendon, Dallon, or Spencer, especially since they knew Dallon already and thought that Dallon was a good person. And Spencer was good at making adults like him, somehow. Mikey wished they had that talent. Instead, they made awkward small talk with Spencer’s mom while they waited for Spencer to come downstairs and retrieve Mikey. Spencer’s two younger sisters were hanging around the kitchen. 

 

One of them came over and poked Mikey’s elbow. “Hey, why is your hair so short?”

 

“Jackie,” Spencer’s mom started, but was cut off by the other girl, who said, “are you a lesbian? I heard girls with short hair are lesbians.”

 

“Not always,” Spencer’s mom said, shooting an apologetic look to Mikey. “Sometimes girls just cut their hair short because they want to. Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay or a lesbian, of course. Some of Spencer’s friends are gay, you know.”

 

“Is it Brendon?” Jackie asked. “Brendon wears girl clothes sometimes.”

 

Spencer came into the kitchen then, grabbing a bag of chips from the fridge and glaring at his sisters before grinning over his shoulder at Mikey. “Hey, dude, you want to go upstairs? Me, Brendon, and Dallon were making Sims of some of our friends. You can help out if you want to.”

 

“Sure,” Mikey said, even though they’d never played the Sims before. It was better than hanging out downstairs with Spencer’s mom and his two kid sisters who asked weird questions. 

 

Once they were halfway up the stairs, Spencer looked over his shoulder and said, “sorry about them. My mom’s pretty cool about the gay stuff, even though I haven’t come out to her yet. My sisters are just weird, though. They’re doing that thing where they they’re assholes to everyone because they want older kids to think they’re cool.”

 

“I never did that,” Mikey said, pretty sure they weren’t lying. Spencer shrugged, and kicked open the door to his room with his foot. “You had cool older friends who were willing to hang out with you. I’m not that great of a brother.”

 

“You’re not that bad,” Mikey said. “Hey guys.”

 

Brendon and Dallon waved from where they were both huddled together on Spencer’s bed. Spencer’s bed had way too many pillows, and his room was scarily neat. Mikey wondered if it was always like this, or if Spencer’s mom was the kind of person who made her kids clean their rooms up before having guests over. Mikey joined the three on the bed, and Brendon moved the laptop onto Dallon’s lap so that it was more in the middle. They were in the middle of making a Sim that looked somewhat like Patrick. 

 

“So, Dallon’s convinced that Patrick has red hair, which is a lie,” Brendon said, nudging the laptop more towards Mikey. “Patrick’s blonde. This looks like Patrick, right?”

 

“Kind of?” Mikey said. “Sim Patrick needs glasses, though.”

 

“We’re getting there,” Brendon said. “But I’m right about Patrick’s hair? It’s blonde?”

 

“Sure,” Mikey said. Brendon grinned at them, then turned and stuck her tongue out at Dallon. Dallon just rolled their eyes and turned the laptop so that they could continue making Sim Patrick. Spencer leaned over Brendon and said, “wait, hey, doesn’t Patrick have freckles?”

 

“Why do you know that?” Dallon asked. Spencer shrugged. “I’m observant. No, Brendon, not the hella freckles, just a light splashing. This game would be a lot better if you could choose where each freckle was.”

 

“You’d never play the game if that was an option,” Brendon said, changing Sim Patrick’s freckles to the light sprinkling. Spencer hooked his chin over her shoulder. “I don’t really play the game anyway. I’m more concerned about making the characters look right than giving them boring lives where they’ll all eventually die.”

 

“Morbid,” Dallon said. “But I agree. We should make sure that our Sim friends live exciting lives. Let’s make them all super villains and have them take over the city.”

 

“What if they’re super villains who think they’re the heroes?” Mikey asked. “Or the other way around? That would be more interesting.”

 

“What are you, some kind of comic book writer?” Brendon asked, and then changed Sim Patrick’s aspirations to “villain” anyway. Mikey bit their fingernail. “I mean, me and Gee make up comic ideas sometimes. We have this one, and it’s kind of embarrassing, but they’re called Killjoys and they live in the desert and fight the oppressive, controlling system in the city.”

 

“Okay, I’m intrigued,” Dallon said, lowering the lid of Spencer’s laptop. “Tell me about the Killjoys.”

 

Mikey looked to the other two. They both looked as interested as Dallon, and Mikey figured Gee wouldn’t mind if they told people about the Killjoys concept, so they started explaining everything they could remember off the top of their head. It turned into an hour long explanation, with the other three asking questions on occasion and Mikey having to make up some lore to fill gaps they’d never thought about before, but by the end, Mikey felt like they’d explained an entire universe.

 

“You and Gee should actually make a comic out of that,” Spencer suggested, with Dallon and Brendon nodding in agreement. Brendon pushed the laptop off of Dallon’s legs. “Yeah, I don’t know a lot about comics, but that sounds really cool. You and Gee could totally become famous off of that.”

 

“Does Gee have any digital art programs?” Dallon asked. Mikey shook their head. Gee did all of xer art by hand, on paper. Dallon grabbed the laptop again, opening it and logging onto Spencer’s profile. “There’s this free program I use, called FireAlpaca, and it’s pretty good. All xe’d need is a tablet and pen, which is like forty dollars on Amazon.”

 

“Gee and I have, like, no money,” Mikey said. 

 

“What about the sin jar?” Spencer asked. Mikey frowned. “I don’t know. We’d have to get everyone to agree to use the sin jar money on a tablet for Gee.”

 

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Brendon said. “You two can just explain the comic to everyone else in our friend group and then they’ll totally be on board with getting Gee a tablet.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!!


	32. Soccer Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey continues to make more bad decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have posted this earlier, but the wifi at my parents' house wasn't working and for some reason the Starbucks wifi wasn't working either. I have no idea why. It was very unfortunate. 
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter, which goes about how you'd expect it to.
> 
> ((Warning for some homophobic language, btw))

Pete’s soccer party was everything Mikey expected from a high school party. They didn’t know anyone outside of their friends that were there, and there was a game of beer pong going on in the garage. Pete was one of the people playing beer pong, and they had Patrick on their team as well. Joe was being a supportive friend on the sidelines, and Andy was sipping from a juice box and looking like he’d rather be at home. 

 

Mikey sympathised with Andy. They were wishing they were back at home as well, even with Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer flanking them. 

 

Pete waved them over. “Hey, you decided to show up!”

 

“Yeah, we had to get a ride from Spencer’s mom,” Mikey said, separating themselves from the other three. “Spencer’s mom is surprisingly cool, and not just about the gay stuff.”

 

Pete gave Mikey a weird look. “You know that’s really lame, getting someone’s mom to drive you to a party. I thought you were just going to get a ride with them, not get Spencer’s mom to bring you here.”

 

“You’re pretty lame yourself,” Mikey said, hating their word choice. Lame was a shitty, ableist word, and Gee had trained them not to use it ever. But Pete had called them that first, so it seemed only fair. “It’s not like she’s here with us. Spencer just couldn’t have the car over night.”

 

“Okay,” Pete said, and tossed the ping pong ball across the table. It went into one of the cups, and a cheer rang out through the garage. Pete flipped the guys on the other side of the table off, and wrapped their arms around Patrick. They ruffled his hair. “Your turn, Trick. Kick these fuckers’ asses.”

 

“You bet I will,” Patrick said, and pulled a ping pong ball out of one of the cups in front of him. He squinted down the table, and then tossed the ball, landing it in a cup. The room cheered again. Pete lifted Patrick’s hat to ruffle his hair, and then called Joe over to the table. “Hey, you wanna take over for me? I’m gonna get Mikey and friends some drinks.”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Joe said, coming over to stand beside Patrick. They bumped their hip against Patrick’s. Pete linked their arm with Mikey’s and pulled them away from the table, over towards where Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon were huddled by the wall, next to Andy. The three of them looked uncomfortable, and part of Mikey regretted inviting them. They felt guilty for dragging them all along. 

 

Pete grinned at everyone. “Hey, you guys want drinks?”

 

“I’m good,” Andy said, raising his juice box. Pete rolled their eyes. “I wasn’t talking to you, Hurley. I was talking to the wallflowers. You guys want drinks?”

 

“Might as well,” Spencer said, shrugging. Pete’s grin grew, and they motioned for everyone to follow them into the house. There were more people in there, and they were loud and way too drunk. It wasn’t even that late into the night. Mikey worried that the party would get shut down, which would suck, because they didn’t know what would happen if they had to flee a party. They’d never been in that situation before.

 

They took a cup of punch from Pete. Dallon declined their punch, so Pete kept it to themselves and took a long drink from the cup, shrugging. “Your loss, Weekes. It’s good punch. Right Mikey?”

 

“They haven’t even drank it yet,” Brendon said, rolling her eyes. Mikey appreciated Brendon being the responsible friend in this situation (for once), but they took a drink from the punch anyway and made a face. There was a lot more alcohol in this than they had expected. Pete grinned up at them. “So, what do you think?”

 

“I think that this explains why everyone is already drunk,” Mikey said, slowly, taking another drink from their cup and slowly coming to the realisation that they hated themselves. Pete grinned, broader than before, and for a moment, it looked like they were about to lean in and kiss Mikey, right there in front of Spencer, Brendon, Dallon, and all of their soccer friends, but then they leaned back and drank from their own punch. 

 

Mikey relaxed. They hadn’t realised how tense they were. “So, now what?”

 

“We mingle, duh,” Pete said. They grabbed Mikey’s arm, and Mikey saw Brendon’s eyes go wide with fear before they were whisked off to go get introduced to all of Pete’s friends. Mikey tried to motion for Brendon to grab her datemates and follow, but someone in a soccer jersey walked between Brendon and Mikey and blocked Mikey’s view of her. 

 

And then they were around the corner, and Mikey was being introduced to one of the forwards. Pete wasn’t misgendering Mikey or anything, but there was something obviously different about this Pete, and Mikey didn’t really like them as much as the Pete they were used to. 

 

They lost track of all the people they knew who weren’t Pete, because Pete was now holding their wrist and dragging them through the house, and grabbing them both drinks whenever they ventured back into the kitchen. At some point, Mikey realised that they were drunk, which was bad, and so they tried to pull away from Pete. Pete looked up at them, a frown on their face. “You okay, Mikeyway?”

 

Pete was even more drunk than Mikey, swaying where they stood. Mikey pushed their glasses up with their wrist. “I, um, I need to go find Brendon.”

 

“Wait, isn’t Brendon one of those weird drama kids?” The guy Pete had been talking to asked. “The one who has, like, only two friends and is some weird gay slut or something?”

 

“That’s the only Brendon I know,” Pete said. Mikey pulled back. What the fuck. They narrowed their eyes at Pete. “Do you secretly hate Brendon or something?”

 

“You mean to tell me that Queer Brendon is here?” The guy asked, and the way he said queer made Mikey nauseous. Queer to this guy wasn’t just a way of describing someone’s sexuality. It was an insult, and it was being used against one of Mikey’s friends. The guy let out a sharp laugh. “Dude, Pete, you should have told me you were bringing the entertainment! Where’s Queer Brendon, I want to see him sing like a choir girl again.”

 

If Mikey didn’t have anxiety, they would have punched the guy. As it was, they just glared at Pete, hoping that they’d say something, and put this asshole in his place. Instead, Pete let out a laugh of their own and pulled Mikey back closer. “Dude, Mikes, it’s a joke.”

 

“It’s not that funny,” Mikey said, quietly, unsure if Pete heard them. The guy looked between Mikey and Pete. “So, while you two have your lover’s squabble, I’m gonna go hunt down Queer Brendon and get the party started for real.”

 

He wandered off, leaving Mikey and Pete alone in the doorway. Mikey yanked their hand back from Pete and stepped away from them. “Your friends suck.”

 

“It’s just a joke, Mikeyway,” Pete said, “he didn’t mean anything. We joke about shit like that all the time.”

 

“Yeah, with Brendon in the room to let us know if we’re taking it too far,” Mikey said. Pete’s face fell, and they reached towards Mikey before dropping their hand and staring down at the ground. “Look, maybe you’re right, and maybe I should have told him to shut the fuck up, but I don’t… can we not do this out here?”

 

“Sure,” Mikey said, rolling their eyes. They immediately regretted their action, because they were then dizzy and had to lean against the door to catch their balance without dropping what was left of their drink. They took a sip, and then finished it off since there wasn’t much left in the cup anyway, and it would be annoying to carry it around. “Where do you want to go?”

 

“Follow me?” Pete said cautiously, and Mikey nodded slowly before following Pete through the house and up a set of stairs. They could still hear the music from downstairs, as well as some people cheering and laughing, but it was a lot quieter up here. 

 

Mikey was sober enough to not let Pete lead them into a bedroom, and instead they ended up in the hall bath. Pete sat on the toilet, and Mikey was on the sink, their arms crossed over their chest. They focused on Pete, and not how Pete was wearing eyeliner and looked really hot. Mikey was pissed at them. “What’s your excuse?”

 

“I don’t have one, Mikey,” Pete said, drinking from their cup of punch. “Because I don’t need one. My friends are assholes sometimes, yeah, totally, but they don’t mean anything. They’ve just got a different sense of humour from you. And Gee, probably. Xe influenced your sense of humour, right?”

 

“You’re really drunk,” Mikey said. “And I invited Brendon so that she’d keep us from hooking up again.”

 

“Did you not want to?” Pete asked, frowning. Mikey stared at them. They were beginning to lean over, their sense of balance long gone at this point. If they wanted to, they could just slide off the sink and into Pete’s lap. Mikey leaned forward more, and kissed Pete. Pete cupped their face in their hands and pulled them down, so that Mikey was straddling them on the toilet seat. Pete leaned back and looked up at Mikey. “Do you want to have sex with me, Mikey?”

 

“Yes,” Mikey said, and pulled Pete’s shirt over their head. “I shouldn’t have made Brendon come. I should have just fucked you in a bed.”

 

“We could go to a bed,” Pete suggested, but Mikey shook their head. They were in the bathroom, they were going to have sex in the bathroom. Mikey didn’t care much for formalities, especially since they weren’t doing anything other than fucking Pete. 

 

It was meaningless, they told themselves. It was just hooking up, at a party, and tomorrow it wouldn’t mean jack shit to either of them. It wouldn’t become a thing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed, and feel free to talk to me on tumblr (brallencer) now that I have wifi again!


	33. Post Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is... a short chapter, and kind of a filler. Whoops. The next one is longer, though, and Stuff Happens there. So, you have that to look forward to?

-private chat to  **brebdo** -

 

**mieky** : hey do u want to meet up with me/g before school

**mieky** : i’ll buy you coffee

**brebdo** : i can’t i’m already at school w/ spencer (dallon’s on their way apparently… we’re v impatient ;) )

**brebdo** : unrelated question but how bad is it for me to wear nothing but my datemates’ clothes since i haven’t been back to my own house for the past three days and i don’t have many options of my own???

**mieky** : i don’t see anything wrong with it

**mieky** : u do u

**brebdo** : but like… i don’t want either of them getting more shit for dating me than they would otherwise

**mieky** : why would anyone give spencer/dallon shit? other than the whole gay thing obvs

**brebdo** : u seem to forget that i have literally no friends other than the gsa

**brebdo** : and i’m pretty sure that most of them hate me anyway so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**mieky** : i don’t hate u i think you’re pretty cool

**brebdo** : thanks mikey

**brebdo** : i’m a fucking weirdo tho so like… ur a minority

 

Mikey leaned back in their seat. “Do you think that the rest of the school hates us?”

 

“Like, us as siblings or us as gay people?” Gee asked. Mikey bit at their fingernail. “I don’t know. Brendon keeps saying shit about how she doesn’t have any other friends outside of us, and some weird stuff happened at the party I was at Friday. I don’t know.”

 

“If you’re worried about Brendon, you should ask her about it,” Gee said. “I don’t know what she does when she’s not around us.”

 

Mikey nodded, and went back to their phone. They checked twitter, responded to a few tweets and opened up the DM they’d gotten from @pwheezie last night. The message wasn’t anything deep, just asking if Mikey wanted to get to know her more, or if they preferred to keep their friendships out in the public. Mikey grinned, and tapped out a reply. They DMed with @pwheezie for the rest of the ride to school, and all through homeroom.

 

“You’re in a good mood,” Frank said, like he wasn’t grinning himself. He pushed the partner work they were supposed to be doing away and leaned further over Mikey’s desk. “What’d you get up to this weekend?”

 

“Remember that internet crush I mentioned a few months ago?” Mikey said. Frank nodded. Mikey locked their phone and set it down on the desk. “Well, we started DMing today. So that’s something.”

 

“Nice,” Frank said. “I got to play a live show with Against Me! on Saturday. It was fucking awesome.”

 

Mikey listened to Frank talk about the show while the two of them got to work on their assignment. They didn’t finish it, but neither did most of the class, so Mr. Armstrong let them take the assignments home to finish overnight. Mikey agreed to let Frank come over after school to work on the assignment at the Ways’ house, since it was somewhat on the way to Frank’s house and Gee could just drive the three of them there. 

 

Mikey had forgotten about talking to Brendon, and only remembered it when they were back home and sitting at the kitchen table with Frank. Gee was down in the basement, working on her art project that was apparently a secret even Mikey couldn’t see yet. 

 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if people were being dicks to Brendon,” Frank said, twirling his pencil around on his fingers. He dropped it, and it rolled off the table and onto the floor. Frank looked around and then muttered a quiet “fuck.” He didn’t retrieve his pencil, and Mikey was left in charge of writing. Frank draped himself over the table. “Not like there’s anywhere in the US that’s super great for trans people, but, like, this place is way shittier than New Jersey. Brendon and your sister don’t exactly hide their transness at school. And, like, you and I don’t hide it, either, but the worst that happens with us is getting called a dyke. Trans women face a hell of a lot of shit for being themselves, you know.”

 

“Of course I know,” Mikey said, rolling their eyes. “I live with Gee. I know all about that stuff…”

 

Mikey narrowed their eyes at Frank. They followed Gee on tumblr, even though they rarely posted anything to their own blog. Gee had made a post similar to what Frank just said only a week ago. Either it was coincidence, or, “are you following Gee’s tumblr?”

 

“Gee has a tumblr?” Frank asked, but his face was red and he wasn’t looking Mikey directly in the eye. Mikey leaned back and folded their arms over their chest. “You’re a really shitty liar.”

 

“Look, I didn’t mean to, I just decided to search her twitter name and see if anything else came up,” Frank said. “She’s got a really kickass theme, by the way. With the little vampires and the mouse that looks like a stake and has black pixel glitter on it? Fucking cool.”

 

“...you’ve spent far too much time on my sister’s blog,” Mikey said. Frank slunk farther down into his seat. “Can we not talk about this now?”

 

“I’m holding you to that,” Mikey said, pointing their finger at Frank. They’d write it down, later, when Frank wasn’t over and Gee wasn’t in the room, that way they’d be sure to remember it, and they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone asking them what they were doing. 

 

It was a great plan. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	34. where ru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title is a bit deceiving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, tomorrow night I'm going to be doing an art stream/q&a, starting at around 9pm EST (aka east coast time). I'm going to be working on something for this fic, so if you want to come hang out, feel free to. 
> 
> I'll post the link at the end of the chapter, since I don't know how to do the cool links on ao3 and I don't want the beginning of this chapter to look all ugly and stuff. 
> 
> Anyway, warning for NSFW content, and more dumb decisions from our favourite tiny trainwreck.

Mikey took Gee, Ray, and Lindsey with them the next time Frank got to play with Against Me! It was the Friday before Thanksgiving break, and one of the last days of freedom for Mikey and Gee. Their grandma was coming down soon, and even though they thought she was a cool lady, their parents were going to make them play host for the entire week. Maybe even for the rest of their lives. 

 

Mikey wasn’t worried about that now. They were more worried about getting up to the front, where they’d get a better view of the show. They pulled their friends with them, not sure who they were holding onto.

 

Frank waved at Mikey as Mikey got through everyone else. He tossed his pick out at Mikey, but someone taller and stronger than them caught it. Frank glared at them for a moment, still playing, and pulled another pick from Laura’s microphone and stuck it between his teeth. 

 

At the end of the set, Frank dropped his guitar on the stage and jumped into the crowd, pick still between his teeth. He moved through the people to get to Mikey, and deposited his sweat and saliva covered pick into Mikey’s hand. Frank winked up at Mikey. “Enjoy it, fucker. Also, do you guys wanna come hang with Laura and some of her friends at a party? There’s still one more band, but we’ve gotta get our shit into the trailer and I can’t get a drink here.”

 

“Yeah, sure, let me just ask everyone else,” Mikey said, putting Frank’s pick in their back pocket. Frank nodded and pushed back through the crowd, jumping back up onto the stage and then onto the drummer’s back. Mikey shook their head at Frank’s antics, and turned around to find Gee, Lindsey, and Ray. They only saw unfamiliar faces, and could feel panic start to seep in under their skin. 

 

They got pushed around by the crowd, but they kept their head down and kept moving and eventually they ended up near the entrance. They looked around again, but they still couldn’t see their sister or their friends. Mikey was having a hard time breathing, and they pressed themselves back against the grimy wall, their shoulder digging into the corner of a picture frame. They closed their eyes and took a deep, shaky breath, before remembering that their phone was in their other back pocket and they could always try messaging Gee to see if she would respond. 

 

- **mieky** created the group  **where ru** -

 

- **mieky** added  **geewhiz** ,  **momfriend** , and  **zoid** to  **where ru** -

 

**mieky** : help i am lost and alone

**momfriend** : we’re back in the sound booth

**momfriend** : the sound guy let us in because he thought security was gonna kick us out for being underage

**zoid** : apparently the only reason frank was allowed to play was because am! and frank signed something saying frank wouldn’t go anywhere near the bar and that they wouldn’t let him drink 

**mieky** : speaking of which do u guys wanna go to an after party frank invited us

**geewhiz** : mikes gma is coming down tomorrow are u serious?

**mieky** : somewhat? u don’t have to get drunk at parties u kno

**geewhiz** : how do we explain it to mom tho

**momfriend** : obvs what happened was the show was longer than we thought and so we all came back to my house and stayed there

**zoid** : it’s the standard

**zoid** : shoutout to ray’s mom for being hella chill about everything we do

**geewhiz** : shoutout to ray’s mom in general

**mieky** : so are we going or not bc i need to find frank again also where the fuck is the sound booth

**zoid** : i’ll go

**geewhiz** : yeah sure

**momfriend** : i’m down and the sound booth is in the back left corner, opposite the bar

 

Mikey put their phone back in their pocket and looked up. The last band was being introduced, and the crowd was forming back up, but Mikey could still see the sound booth. If they squinted, they could pick out the bright red plaid shirt Lindsey was wearing, and the frizzy ends of Ray’s hair. They pushed through everyone and made their way into the booth, squeezing in between Ray and Gee. Gee ruffled their hair. “Hey, you doing okay?”

 

“Yeah, it was just a little anxiety inducing down there alone,” Mikey said, chewing their nail. The four of them hung out in the sound booth until Frank messaged Gee saying that the band had loaded up and that they were ready to go. 

 

The ride over to campus was quiet. Gee and Mikey were in one car, while Lindsey, Ray, and Frank were in the van with the gear. The van with the trailer of gear pulled around to the back of the house, but the car that Mikey and Gee were in parked out on the sidewalk. Everyone got out, and Mikey stuck to Gee’s side while she walked around the inside of the house. Mikey didn’t know if Gee was going to drink that night, and they weren’t going to start drinking until Gee did, because it would be weird if they were drunk and Gee wasn’t. They didn’t want to come off as the out of control kid sibling. 

 

A few hours into the party, Gee, Lindsey, and Ray had been forced to join a game of darts outside, and Frank and Mikey were on their own. Frank was drunk and giggly, and Mikey was buzzed enough that they were letting Frank use their shoulder as a pillow whenever he needed to. Frank looked up at Mikey. “Hey, Mikey, friend, I gotta tell you a thing but I don’t want to do it in front of people.”

 

“Let me get a drink first,” Mikey said. Frank nodded, and grabbed Mikey’s hand as Mikey lead him back to the kitchen where the drinks were set out. Mikey grabbed a clean shot glass and poured themselves a shot of whatever was in the nearest bottle, before drinking it all. It didn’t sting as much as Mikey was used to alcohol stinging. They rubbed the top of Frank’s head. “Okay, let’s go upstairs and hide in some closet or whatever.”

 

The two of them made it up the stairs, ignoring the crying girl who was hugging the bannister and spilling her drink over her shirt. Two of the rooms were already occupied, but the third one just had an empty mattress and an acoustic guitar standing in the corner. Frank and Mikey took that one, Mikey closing the door before joining Frank on the bed. The two were splayed out on the bare mattress, lying on their sides and giggling out of nowhere. 

 

“What’d you wanna tell me?” Mikey asked, when they remembered why they’d let Frank drag them up here in the first place. 

 

Frank giggled harder, and for a moment, Mikey thought about Pete, and what Pete would look like if they were with Mikey instead of Frank. Mikey wished they could be with Pete, for real and not just when they were too drunk to realise it was a bad idea. They liked Pete, unfortunately, and Pete wasn’t available. Pete was dating Patrick, or basically dating Patrick. Even if they weren’t officially dating in the heteronormative sense of the word, Pete was definitely in love with Patrick and Patrick was… Patrick was something for Pete and Mikey wasn’t such a dick that they’d try to take Pete away from Patrick. 

 

“So… not to make things awkward,” Frank said, giggling again, “but I’ve got, like, a huge crush on your sister. She’s so pretty and I think about kissing her a lot and we talked about comics and music for hours one time, while you were doing whatever you do with Pete and Dallon and Lindsey and bass guitars. If you could be in love with someone without ever kissing them, I’d be in love with your sister.”

 

“She’s in lesbians with Lindsey,” Mikey said, because it was bad enough that they were sleeping with someone they shouldn’t. They didn’t want Frank to be an idiot too. 

 

Frank sighed. “I know. And me and Brendon talked about polyamory one time, while her shit was hitting the fan, and hey… I don’t know. I probably don’t have a chance. I’m just the friend of the kid brother. You’re the brother, but like a gender-free version. Like those crackers that don’t have gluten, except you probably don’t taste like literal cardboard.”

 

“Thanks, Frank.”

 

“I’m super good at compliments when I’m drunk,” Frank said. “Also I almost kissed your sister earlier tonight.”

 

“I had sex with Pete,” Mikey said, before they could think about what was coming out of their mouth. But then it was out there, and Frank looked at them for a moment before asking, “wait, when?”

 

“Halloween. And then a few days later behind the stage,” Mikey rolled over onto their side. “And at that soccer party, even though I said I wouldn’t. They’re dating Patrick. I’m the literal worst.”

 

“I think I’m falling in love with your sister,” Frank said. And then he leaned over and kissed Mikey, for some reason, and Mikey kissed back, flipping Frank over so that they were on top of him. It wasn’t like either of them had better options. It didn’t matter that Frank was kissing the wrong Way sibling or that Mikey was afraid to admit that maybe they were falling for Pete and hated themselves for it. Frank was a good kisser, Mikey was drunk enough not to stop themselves, and Frank only pulled away to whisper, “stop me if you get uncomfortable,” before pulling off Mikey’s shirt. 

 

Mikey didn’t pay attention much, during it. They were thinking about Pete, and how they wanted to do this with Pete, and how it was fucking rude to be thinking about Pete while they fingered Frank, and even more rude to think about Pete’s mouth when Frank went down on them like he was some kind of expert on eating out. 

 

There were grunts, and sighs and moans, and when they came, they said other people’s names, and Mikey didn’t look at Frank afterwards. They were pretty sure Frank didn’t look at them either. They just put their clothes back on and hoped that they didn’t leave anything behind when they left to go downstairs and find someone who wasn’t Frank. 

 

They looked over their shoulder before they left the bedroom, and Frank was already passed out on the bed, his clothes half off and rumpled, and looking like he’d just had sloppy, drunken sex. Mikey just hoped that no one realised that they were the one Frank had been having sex with.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment and/or kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> The link to my stream is here: https://picarto.tv/brallencer for tomorrow @ around 9 pm!!


	35. Lena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not updating this earlier; my laptop decided to just... not connect to any wifi and I'm on vacation at the moment. I'm literally using my brother's laptop to upload this, so shout out to Josh for being cool with me adding bandom shenanigans to his search history.

Mikey woke up the next morning on Ray’s couch, their head throbbing and Gee’s arm covering most of their face. Their glasses were on the floor, but still in one piece, and so they rolled off the couch and put them on. Their phone was almost dead. 

 

They had a vague memory of what happened after they slept with Frank, but it wasn’t enough to be of value. Mikey leaned back on their heels and poked Gee’s side until she made a noise and tried to push Mikey away. Mikey leaned forward, putting their face in front of Gee’s. “Hey, Gee, wake up.”

 

“I feel like hell, Mikey,” Gee groaned into her arm. “I want to die in peace.”

 

“But we have to go home,” Mikey said, and started to shake their sister. She sat up slowly and then pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. Mikey leaned back, sitting down on the floor. “If you need to puke, the bathroom’s upstairs. We’re at Ray’s house.”

 

“I know where we are, Mikey,” Gee said, rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t that out of it last night.”

 

“Sorry I disappeared.”

 

“Nah, it’s fine,” Gee said. “I’m just glad that you found Frank. It would have been really bad if he had been left there. College people can be really shitty sometimes.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I’m glad no one took advantage of him.”

 

“Me too,” Mikey said. “Can we call mom and dad now?”

 

Gee nodded, and pulled her phone from between the couch cushions. Lindsey was curled up on the floor behind the couch, Ray was slumped down in one of the cushy chairs that leaned back, and Frank was asleep on an air mattress, his hair plastered down across his face. He looked wrecked, and there was a bit of a hickey poking out from under his shirt. 

 

Mikey wanted to leave immediately, but Gee was still talking to their parents, and she still had last night’s makeup on, except it was smeared all over her face. Mikey tugged on her pant leg, making a face to tell her to hurry the fuck up. Gee swatted them on the head, and said, “yeah, we’re both awake, dad, we just don’t wanna bother the Toros and make them drive us back… No, I don’t have my car… dad, please?”

 

There was a moment of silence, in which Lindsey let out a snort in her sleep and Ray’s leg twitched, and then Gee said, “thanks dad.”

 

She put her phone down and turned to Mikey. “He’ll be here in like ten minutes. I’m gonna go get all my makeup off. You should probably find our shoes.”

 

“Right,” Mikey said, and waited until Gee had disappeared up the stairs to go in search of their shoes. They sat out on the Toro’s front steps, and Gee showed up and put her shoes on a few minutes before their dad showed up to take them home. Neither of them talked much in the car, except for when Gee asked if their mom and their grandma were home yet. Gee and Mikey’s mom had driven up to the small town that their grandma lived in the night before, and was coming back with her that morning. 

 

Gee and her grandma were weirdly close. Gee and Mikey were also close, but there was an obvious reason for them to be close: they were closeted queer siblings, and their parents weren’t the best. Gee’s grandma, so far as Mikey knew, had no idea that neither of her grandkids were straight or cis. Mikey didn’t even know if she was cool with gay people, because their family was pretty fucking Catholic, and Catholics weren’t the most accepting people in the world. 

 

“Did you guys eat before you left Ray’s house?” Their dad asked as they took off their jackets and tossed them in the general direction of the living room. Gee made a face, and she said, “I’m not hungry, dad. It’s fine.”

 

“Didn’t ask if you were hungry, I asked if you ate at Ray’s house,” he said. He turned to Mikey. “So, Mikey, did you eat at Ray’s house or are you planning to be as evasive as your brother?”

 

“I didn’t,” Mikey said. They bit at their finger without thinking about it, even though they knew that their parents hated when they did that. Their dad nodded, and grabbed a smores Poptart from the pantry, handing it over to Mikey. They took it, and grabbed a glass of juice so that their throat wouldn’t be too dry. Gee made herself some coffee, and the three of them huddled around the kitchen table while Mikey ate and Gee and their dad drank coffee. 

 

When Gee was done, she excused herself and headed back down to the basement. Mikey followed soon after, dropping their wrapper in the trash on their way out. Their dad told them to make sure they got a shower in before their grandmother got here, and to tell Gee the same thing. Mikey nodded, saying that they would, but there was always a chance that that wouldn’t happen, and their grandmother would just have to deal with two unshowered grandkids. 

 

Gee was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring down at the floor like it held the secrets of the universe. Mikey sat on their own bed across the room. “Hey. Dad said we need to shower before Grandma gets here.”

 

“Do you think Lindsey hates me?” Gee asked the floor. Mikey knew the question was meant for themselves, though. They shook their head. “No, no way. Why would she hate you?”

 

“I don’t know,” Gee said, and sighed. “She’s just… she’s a lesbian, and I’m not even sure if I’m a girl or whatever, and even if I am a girl I’m a really shitty one, and I’m ugly and fat and disgusting--”

 

“Gee, she’s your best friend,” Mikey said, because friendships were just as important as romantic relations. Sometimes they were even more important. “Even if you were any of those things--which you’re not--I don’t think she’d care. She knows you, Gee, and she likes what she knows. She doesn’t hate you.”

 

“I’m pretty disgusting, Mikey,” Gee said, lifting her head a little. Objectively speaking, Gee was right. She was pretty disgusting, but Mikey wasn’t much better. Neither of them had showered in over a week, and Mikey knew that they’d been picking dirty clothes off of the ground and hoping for the best since before Halloween. Gee didn’t need to hear any of that, though, because Mikey was sure she’d already noticed. Mikey stretched out their long, toothpicky legs. “Yeah, but we’re all pretty disgusting, so it kinda cancels out.”

 

“What if we cleaned our room?” Gee said. Mikey made a face. “Are you serious? You want to clean up, without being forced to? Why?”

 

“Well, maybe if I don’t live in literal filth, I won’t feel like literal filth all the time,” Gee said. It seemed like a reasonable conclusion, but Mikey didn’t think it was worth testing. What if they cleaned up and they still felt like death? They’d have wasted so much time that they could have spent doing other things. They didn’t have other things to do, but anything was better than cleaning. 

 

In the end, they ended up gathering all of their’s and Gee’s clothes and taking them to the laundry room to wash them. Mikey loaded in the first load, and then hopped up on the washing machine and pulled out their phone. They plugged it into the only free outlet in the room, and waited a few minutes for it to come back to life. 

 

“Jesus, fuck,” Mikey muttered when they saw how many group chat messages they’d missed while their phone had been dead. None of them were too important, but they did have a private message from Frank. Mikey felt a wave of nausea and anxiety roll over them, and then opened the message. 

 

-private message from  **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** -

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ok this is gonna make me sound like absolute trash but like how much of the party do u remember?

**mieky** : idk not much

**mieky** : i kno u were like really drunk and u said u had something to tell me?? i don’t remember what it was or if u told me

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : it wasn’t anything important dude don’t worry

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : but i didn’t do anything stupid right?

**mieky** : i don’t think so

**mieky** : if u did it was after we were too out of it to realise

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : shit….. because i have a hickey and i didn’t realise it until i got home and my mom was like “what is that???? have u been doing Sexual Things??? as a Good Catholic ™  i must remind u that sex is the Worst Thing U Can Do ever u will Die and Go To Hell if u have the sex”

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i just don’t want to find out that i slept with some stranger u kno

**mieky** : no i get that

**mieky** : i don’t think u slept with anyone u and i were just passed out upstairs for a bit i think

**mieky** : don’t worry about it too much

 

They put their phone down and realised that they were kind of a horrible person. But they weren’t about to tell Frank that they’d slept with him last night, after Frank admitted that he liked Gee and Mikey admitted to having had sex with Pete multiple times. Sleeping with Frank hadn’t been a good idea, and they regretted it. 

 

Mikey rubbed at their eyes, and jumped down from the washing machine. They needed to take their mind off of the whole situation. Maybe Gee was right, and cleaning their shared room would make things better. Even if it didn’t, at least Mikey could do something other than sit around and brood about their bad decisions. 

 

Gee was sitting in the middle of the floor, looking through some of her art when Mikey came back in. She looked up at Mikey, concern obvious on her face. “Are you okay? You look like you were just crying?”

 

“I wasn’t crying,” Mikey said, because at least that part was true. They sat down on the floor beside their sister. “I wasn’t.”

 

“You sure?” Gee asked. “Because you look like shit. You can tell me what’s going on, you know. I’m not going to judge you, or tell anyone else, if you don’t want me to.”

 

“Frank and I had sex,” Mikey blurted out. It wasn’t the smartest thing to say, and it wasn’t the entire problem, but it was enough to keep Gee occupied, and Mikey figured that Gee wouldn’t go after Frank. Gee liked Frank, as a friend, and she seemed to trust him. Pete was different. Pete was already dating Patrick, and Gee would kick their ass for cheating just as hard as she’d kick their ass for playing with Mikey’s feelings. 

 

Gee was a little overprotective sometimes, but Mikey was as equally protective of their sister, so it all evened out in the end. 

 

“When?” Gee asked. 

 

Mikey bit at their fingernail. “Last night, at the party. We were both drunk, and I shouldn’t have done it, and I feel like an ass.”

 

“Did you tell Frank?” Gee asked, and Mikey shook their head. Gee frowned. “Mikey, you should tell him. What if he thinks you’re into him, or something? I don’t care who you sleep with, or how many people you sleep with, but you should make your intentions known.”

 

“Frank doesn’t remember,” Mikey whispered. “And I don’t want to tell him because I know he didn’t mean to do it. He doesn’t like me, and I don’t like him. We were just… I don’t know. Lonely or something, and in the same room at the right time. If he doesn’t remember it, I’d rather not remind him and make him feel awkward too.”

 

Gee was looking at Mikey like she wanted to say something, and Mikey was half tempted to let her. They probably wouldn’t take Gee’s advice, if that was what she was planning to say, because Gee didn’t know everything and Gee probably wouldn’t ever know anything. Mikey might, at some point, mention that Frank had a crush on her, but not now. Not when they were talking about having sex with Frank. They didn’t want Gee to think that they were jealous and wanted to date Frank. 

 

Mikey couldn’t imagine dating Frank. That would be weird, and wrong, like dating their brother. 

 

“You should tell him, but I understand if you don’t want to,” Gee said, finally, once a silence had settled between the two of them. She turned back to her art, and started organising it again. “We should probably shower, so that mom and dad don’t get mad at us.”

 

“You want first or second shower?” Mikey asked. Gee shrugged. “I don’t care. You can go first, Mikes.”

 

“Alright,” Mikey said, and got up off the floor. They didn’t bring a fresh set of clothes, because the ones they were currently wearing were mostly clean. Sure, they smelled a little bit like the Marlboros Frank smoked and like sweat, but Mikey was used to those smells. Their grandma, last time Mikey checked, also smoked, so it wasn’t like she’d even notice that Mikey smelled like cigarettes. And, if she asked why, Mikey could always say that some of their friends smoked and it must have rubbed off onto Mikey. That wasn’t entirely false. 

 

They spaced out for most of their shower, and they almost forgot to put in shampoo. They really needed to get their life together, but they didn’t know where to start. 

 

Mikey avoided looking at themselves in the bathroom mirror while they changed back into their clothes. It wasn’t because they were feeling dysphoric or anything, but because they didn’t want to acknowledge themselves. They just wanted to have their own issues disappear, and not have to be dealt with, so that they could move on with their thoughts and stop hating themselves. They weren’t even actively hating themselves. It was a constant nagging in the back of their head, and they were tired of it. 

 

Gee was still on the floor when Mikey returned, but she was on a different part of the floor and was flipping through a comic book. Mikey stood over her and stared down at their sister. “Gee, what are you doing?”

 

“Cleaning, duh,” Gee said, rolling her eyes. “Go see if mom and Granma are here yet.”

 

“You still need to shower.”

 

“I know, but I’m reading this now, and I kind of don’t want to get up and wash all of my makeup off. I put effort into this,” Gee said. Mikey shook their head and leaned over, snatching the comic book from Gee’s hands. Gee glared up at them, but Mikey raised their eyebrow and Gee gave in. She grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the shower. 

 

Mikey put the comic book under Gee’s bed and then headed upstairs. Their dad had moved from the kitchen table, and Mikey wasn’t sure where he’d gone off to, so they started looking for him. “Dad? Where’d you go?”

 

“Upstairs, I’m putting out sheets for your Granma,” he yelled down the stairs. Mikey jogged up the stairs and then stood awkwardly in the doorway to their old room because their dad didn’t need any help and Mikey didn’t have anywhere else to go. Not long after Mikey’s dad finished setting up their granma’s new room, Mikey heard the garage door opening and closing, and Gee calling out that Granma was here, finally. 

 

Mikey followed their dad down the stairs, and they met their granma and their mom in the living room. Gee was bouncing around, looking way more excited than she had been twenty minutes ago. Her hair was wet and soaking into her sweater, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Mikey was pretty sure Gee had gotten out of the shower only moments before their Granma showed up. 

 

“Mikey, you got tall,” their granma said, without any of the disdain that other people showed upon realising that Mikey was taller than them. Mikey nodded. “Yeah, I’m almost taller than Gee.”

 

Their granma turned to Gee, who had calmed down a little and was now leaning awkwardly against the wall and picking at the sleeve of her sweater. “So, you’re going by Gee now? Is everyone in this family taking up nicknames?”

 

“Um, I guess?” Gee said, looking to Mikey for some kind of support. Mikey had none. 

 

“Well, then, I guess I’ll just have you two call me Lena,” their granma said. Mikey’s mom looked at her, about to say something, but their granma shook her head. “Donna, don’t give me that look. Your children are in high school now. They can call me something other than Granma if they want. Hell, I’d like to be called something other than Granma for once in my life.” She motioned to Gee and Mikey, a sly grin on her face, “you two call me Lena, and don’t listen to your parents. You’re family, you don’t need to have all that formality.”

 

Mikey and Gee looked at each other, and they both agreed at that moment that Gee was right and their granma Lena was awesome as fuck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	36. thanksgiving sux asS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! Hopefully it's better than 2016 (not that that's hard).

- **hurleyxvx** changed the name of the group to  **thanksgiving sux asS** -

 

**hurleyxvx** : not to be That Vegan but i hate thanksgiving dinner

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : SME

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : *SAME

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : also i’m in jersey with my dads family and i have to wear a dress which is unfortunate

**hurleyxvx** : new thanksgiving plan: we all get together wearing whatever the fuck we want and watch halloween movies while eating popcorn

**p_wheezie** : andrew hurley are you saying we can’t have pie at gay thanksgiving

**hurleyxvx** : i mean u can if u want

**geewhiz** : how about we just delete thanksgiving as a holiday in general since it’s the two worst things family and football

**p_wheezie** : and pie!

**p_wheezie** : no one here understands how important pie is which makes me mad

 

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **appreciate the goddamn pie** -

 

**geewhiz** : pete change it back no one likes your pie

**p_wheezie** : no

**p_wheezie** : also we should go black friday shopping together tomorrow

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : what part of i am in new jersey for thanksgiving break did you not understand

**hurleyxvx** : i think she understood it she just doesn’t give a fuck

**p_wheezie** : t(-.-t) it’s me flipping your dumb new jersey ass off

**geewhiz** : leave frank alone u dick

**p_wheezie** : no t(-.-t)

**geewhiz** : mikey said to get better emojis

**p_wheezie** : tell mikey to say that to my face

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : more like say that to my MOUTH

**p_wheezie** : frank that’s gay

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m gay

**geewhiz** : ……….anyway are we doing black friday together or not? because i kind of /don’t/ want to go with my family since most of them Suck

**p_wheezie** : hell yeah we can all meet up at the mall at like 2 in the morning and be bad hooligans

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : :((

**hurleyxvx** : sorry frank

 

“Gerard, put your phone away,” Mikey’s mom said, one hand on her hip. “We’re about to start serving dinner.”

 

Gee and Mikey looked up from where they’d both been huddled over Gee’s phone. They were dressed up for the family dinner, which usually sucked because they had to act like straight, not mentally ill teenagers, and Mikey had no idea how to do that. Mikey straightened out their dress that they’d been forced to wear, and got up. “Did you want any help?”

 

Their mom lit up, because apparently that had been the right thing to say. Mikey’s mom didn’t rag on them for the rest of dinner, and afterwards they got to retreat to the basement for an entire hour before Gee was sent down to bring them back up and socialise.

 

Socialising, at least with Mikey’s dad’s side of the family, fucking sucked. They were all boring, upper class people who were interested in things like shooting and capitalism. Mikey didn’t care about either of those things. They usually sat beside Gee and just suffered through the hours of conversation together. 

 

Near the end of the evening, as Mikey and Gerard’s relatives were getting up and starting to leave, Gee pulled her mom to the side and asked, “hey, and me and Mikey go black Friday shopping with some friends?”

 

Their mom frowned. “Which friends? And where would you go?”

 

“Lindsey, Ray, maybe a few other people from school,” Gee said. Mikey knew she was being vague because she didn’t know exactly who would be coming with them, not because she was trying to hide something from her mom. “We’d just go to the mall. That’s where most of the sales would be, anyway.”

 

“You’ll have to keep me updated on where you are,” she said. “And who you’re with. But other than that, I don’t have too much of a problem with you two going out with friends for the night.”

 

“Thanks mom,” Gee said. She grabbed Mikey and dragged them back down to the basement. Gee started grabbing clothes and throwing them onto her bed. “Text the group, tell them we’re meeting at the mall at midnight. I’m changing into something that isn’t so dress shirty.”

 

“Let me get pants on first and then I’ll text them,” Mikey said. They grabbed a pair of jeans and slid them on under their dress. They pulled their dress over their head while Gee was turned away and pulled on a t-shirt and a hoodie. It was cold outside, but Mikey was pretty sure they’d be spending most of their Black Friday adventure inside of the mall, and not out where it was near freezing temperatures. 

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **embrace the season of capitalism** -

 

**mieky** : hey guess what g and i can go to the mall

**p_wheezie** : fuck yeah!!!!

**p_wheezie** : who else can go

**zoid** : i can assuming someone will pick me up?

**mieky** : g can do that

**zoid** : nice i’m in

**hurleyxvx** : me too i’ll ride with pete

**dadtree** : I’m in Utah for the rest of Thanksgiving break, so have fun without me.

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ayee i’m out of state too #swuad

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : *#squad

**mieky** : frank you’re banned from talking also put a dollar in the jar

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : this is abuse but fine

**joetrohfro** : i’m down also patrick said he’d be there in spirit since chicago is too far to drive (apparently)

**p_wheezie** : tell patrick to stop being a fucko

**joetrohfro** : u have his number u do it

**p_wheezie** : t(-.-t)

**hurleyxvx** : wait so when are we meeting because someone earlier said 2 but the mall opens at midnight?????

**mieky** : midnight is fine

**mieky** : text the group chat when u get there tho

**mieky** : also @spooncer @brebdo @momfriend if ur in town and want to come with us u can

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	37. Black Friday Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the squad goes to the mall, there's snow in places, and Mikey continues to be incredibly oblivious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my laptop probably has hardware issues, which sucks because it's only a few years old and I also had some really cool stickers on it that I don't want to lose. 
> 
> Good news, my girlfriend is letting me borrow her laptop indefinitely! So, updates may happen more frequently, who knows. ((I've also started back at college so... I have things to do now, which is unfortunate))

Mikey shivered all the way across the parking lot. They could see their breath when they breathed, and according to the little temperature reader thing in Gee’s car, it was just under thirty degrees. They tucked their hands in under their armpits and walked faster, ignoring Lindsey and Gee complaining about how Mikey needed to not walk fast just because they had long legs. Mikey would walk as fast as they wanted, because they were tired of being cold and uncomfortable. 

 

They wanted some coffee. They wanted a warmer sweater. 

 

When the three of them got into the mall and stopped shivering from the sudden burst of cold, they headed to the Starbucks, which was thankfully open all night. Gee bought herself and Mikey venti hazelnut coffees, and Lindsey got a peppermint mocha because she declared that it was finally Christmas season. 

 

Gee rolled her eyes and blew on the top of her coffee. “You don’t even celebrate Christmas.”

 

“True, but I enjoy peppermint flavoured things,” Lindsey said. “Where’d everyone say we were meeting up, anyway?”

 

“I think we’re supposed to meet outside Hot Topic, because Pete’s an emo fuck and because we’ll probably end up in there anyway,” Gee said.

 

They headed towards Hot Topic, and sure enough, some of their friends were gathered in the entrance. It was Pete, Joe, Andy, Ray, and Spencer. Spencer was texting someone on his phone, but when Ray elbowed him he looked up. “I’m trying to get Brendon here. Their parents are being assholes about the whole Black Friday thing. Something about how Brendon has a curfew and that going out without adult supervision is breaking that curfew and not allowed.”

 

“Can’t you just say that we have an adult here?” Lindsey asked. 

 

“No, because Brendon’s parents would have to drive them here, and then they’d demand to see the supposed adult in charge and it’s not like we can just grab some random shopper and pretend they’re someone’s mom.”

 

Pete grinned. “Well, we actually could…”

 

“No, Pete,” Andy said, as sternly as he could. Andy’s voice didn’t make him seem very intimidating, but he had one hell of a glare when he wanted to. Pete frowned, sticking her tongue out and pouting. “Aww, Andy, don’t be lame.”

 

“Someone has to keep you from doing stupid shit while Patrick’s in Chicago,” Joe said. 

 

“Patrick’s usually doing the stupid shit with us, dude,” Pete said. 

 

Ray crossed her arms over her chest. “Right, so where are we going?”

 

As Gee had suspected, they started out in the Hot Topic that was right in front of them. No one bought anything, because they were in the presence of their friends and everyone was making fun of all the cheesy Hot Topic merch. Mikey wasn’t about to admit that a large portion of their clothes came from here, not when their friends were laughing at the Naruto headbands in the back corner (Mikey did not, nor did they ever plan to, own a Naruto headband). 

 

They moved through the mall in a small mob of sweater and sweatshirt clad teenagers, not as loud as they usually were because it was the middle of the night and there was just something weird about being at a mall in the middle of a cold spell while the outside world was still pitch black. 

 

Brendon never got to join them, but Spencer kept Brendon updated with what they were doing. Mikey wondered if they’d all be louder if their missing friends were with them, and then they started thinking about how shitty it was that families were always placed above friends, even though no one ever got to choose their family. 

 

Mikey bumped shoulders with Gee. “I’m glad you’re my sister, and not someone gross who’d be a dick to me for who I am.”

 

“Me too, Mikey,” Gee said, “but I have no idea why you’re telling me this now.”

 

“I was just thinking about how it sucks to have to spend holidays with people you don’t like, just because you share a bloodline with them,” Mikey said. “This is a lot more fun than Thanksgiving dinner.”

 

“Yeah, because we can be gay here,” Pete said over her shoulder. “Can’t be gay at home, unless you’re lucky enough to have good parents.”

 

“Andy’s got the best parents,” Joe said, reaching around Pete and messing up Andy’s hair so that Andy flipped them off. Joe grinned. “You know it, dude. Who else here would have their parents literally change school districts so that their kid could never get deadnamed by his teachers? And they’re trying to get you on the guy’s soccer team, where you belong.”

 

“Lucky you, Andrew,” Pete said, and then winked. “I rhymed. I’m a fucking poet.”

 

“No you’re not,” Spencer said. Pete pouted at him for a moment, and then they all got distracted by Yankee Candle and headed in to smell all of the candles. Mikey found one that smelled like pine trees and was a nice green colour, and they brought it over to Gee. “Okay, so. Consider this: we buy this candle together, and put it in our room, and then we have a festive candle that makes our room smell less like unwashed clothes.”

 

“You just want it because you think it smells good,” Gee said. She tilted the candle towards her own face and sniffed it a few times. “How much does it cost?”

 

“Twenty two dollars,” Mikey said. 

 

“Jesus fuck, that’s expensive.”

 

“I know, that’s why I suggested we buy it together,” Mikey said. “That was it’s only eleven for each, and we’ll still have some grandparent money left over in case we find something else we want.”

 

“Alright, but I get to choose where we put it,” Gee said. Mikey nodded, and the two of them headed to the counter to guy their candle. No one else actually bought anything, but Lindsey seriously considered getting one of the Blackberry candles, but decided against it since it wasn’t actually black and she was worried it wouldn’t work for the things she needed it for. 

 

After that, they headed to the food court to see what was open. Nothing was, which was unfortunate because most of them were hungry. Ray pulled out her phone. “There’s a Denny’s nearby. We can probably get something to eat there, if everyone’s cool with that?”

 

“Dude, this is the perfect time for Denny’s!” Pete exclaimed, and jumped up onto Joe’s back without warning. Joe almost fell over, because they weren’t expecting to suddenly have a Pete on their back, but Andy and Spencer both reached out and stopped Joe and Pete from toppling into the empty food court table Joe had been standing beside. 

 

Joe reached up and patted Pete’s face. “Some warning would be nice, next time.”

 

“Sorry, I just got excited about breakfast food,” Pete said. She wrapped her arms around Joe’s shoulder. “But let’s go get Denny’s. We can all fit in Joe’s car, right?”

 

“We didn’t all come in Joe’s car,” Lindsey said. 

 

Pete shrugged. “We can always come back. ‘Sides, there’ll probably be a lot of people at Denny’s and I don’t think they have a lot of parking spaces. So, everyone get in the Trohmobile.”

 

“Don’t call my car the Trohmobile,” Joe said. They didn’t shrug Pete off, nor did they argue any more, and so the eight of them headed to Joe’s car, and then drove to Denny’s. As Pete predicted, there was a large crowd, and they had to wait in line for a while before they could order. They spent most of the time in line sending obnoxious snapchats to Frank, Brendon, Dallon, and Patrick, to make them feel bad for not being there. 

 

Frank sent Mikey a snapchat back of him, dressed up in about seven layers of clothes and two coats, glaring at the camera. He was outside, in the dark, and there was some snow falling around him. He’d captioned it with the middle finger emoji, and Mikey was pretty sure they’d never seen anyone so mad in their life. They screenshot it and sent it to the group immediately. 

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : fuck u fuck all of u i can’t feel my fingers

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : also my dad’s girlfriend keeps asking me when i’m going to get a boyfriend and i’m like hannah……….. that’s Gay

**mieky** : suffer fucker

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : fuck u

**hatrick** : ok but consider this… chicago is worse

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : it started snowing right when hannah was like “let’s do black friday!! family bonding experience!!” and it has not stopped

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : but pls. tell me how chicago is worse

**hatrick** : there was already snow here when my family got here and its been getting more and more snowy and there’s a chance we won’t be able to drive home on time

**p_wheezie** : u mean ur leaving me all alone D:

**hatrick** : u dick stop being selfish

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ok but patrick… u could miss school that’s a good thing

**hatrick** : i don’t want to miss school

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : what the fuck

**dadtree** : Plot twist: Patrick is actually a good person. Also, nice face Frank.

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : thank

 

“Hey, shitty millennials, your food’s ready,” Lindsey said, poking Mikey’s forehead. Mikey stuck their tongue out at her, and reached around her to grab their food from the counter. 

 

They reached into their bag and grabbed a tater tot. “You know you’re also a millennial, right Linds?”

 

“Yeah, but I’m almost an adult, so I have to start acting like I hate all young people,” Lindsey said, and grabbed her own food. Once everyone else had grabbed their food (Gee hadn’t ordered anything, claiming she wasn’t hungry at the moment and was fine with just a shitty coffee), they headed towards an empty table in the back. Pete grabbed two extra chairs, and they all circled around it. Mikey ended up between Gee and Ray, and across from Pete. 

 

They ate another tater tot. “So, how’d we do with the whole Black Friday and capitalism thing?”

 

“Well, I bought Dallon a sweater,” Spencer said. “And I got some makeup for Brendon, since they’d mentioned that they were running low and Christmas is coming up.”

 

“Spencer’s a good boyfriend,” Pete said. She’d splayed herself out across both Andy and Joe’s laps, but she was still able to eat whatever she’d ordered. It was pretty impressive. Not that Mikey was genuinely impressed by anything Pete did, ever. They were trying to not be interested in Pete anymore. They had better things to do with their time than crush after someone who wasn’t available. 

 

They pulled out their phone and opened the twitter app. 

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ just finished indulging in some capitalism with #blackfriday and now one of my friends is lounging across two other people to eat dennys _

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ also shout out to that tweet for being 136 characters #soclose _

 

Mikey pocketed their phone after that, because they didn’t want to be entirely antisocial, and they also had the rest of their breakfast. Mikey wasn’t sure if Denny’s at two in the morning counted as breakfast, though. As they were taking a bite of their pancakes, Pete’s phone went off twice. She looked down at her phone and smiled. 

 

It was probably Patrick, sending her something cute. Mikey tried not to be too jealous. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	38. it's snowing guys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dyslexia: hey what if I made it so you can't type for shit?  
> Me, working on multiple fics and trying to learn a new language: plaes no
> 
> ((Yes that was on purpose I try to avoid spelling mistakes but sometimes they still happen))

- **frnkiero_andthedogs** changed the name of the group to  **it’s snowing guys** -

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : it’s snowing guys

**geewhiz** : really i had no idea

**geewhiz** : actually i didn’t until you changed the name of the group

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i didn’t change shit what are you talking about

 

- **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** changed the name of the group to  **whatever it was before shush gee** -

 

**geewhiz** : somehow… i’m not convinced

**zoid** : frank stop shit posting before seven in the morning some of us actually like sleeping

**geewhiz** : i am a vampire and do not believe in sleep

**zoid** : we know babe

 

- **geewhiz** changed their name to  **vampiregee** -

 

**vampiregee** : there now i’m my true form

**hatrick** : ok so do we have school or not

**hatrick** : because if we don’t i’m not getting out of bed at all i’m tired of snow already

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : patrick’s an old man

**hatrick** : *lady

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : oh sorry 

**hatrick** : nah i’ve just been feeling like a girl recently

**hatrick** : unfortunately that means pete thinks she can come over and do my hair which SHE CANNOT

**p_wheezie** : :(

**zoid** : u can do my hair pete i trust you

**vampiregee** : well that’s a mistake

**zoid** : we’re bassists we have a bond

**p_wheezie** : hell yea

**p_wheezie** : where are the other bass fuckers we need to squad the fuck up

**mieky** : pete i’m making u put a dollar in the jar just because i never want anyone to think that the phrase “we need to squad the fuck up” is acceptable in any context

**p_wheezie** : morning mikey

**p_wheezie** : also should i put it in the jar or would you like it somewhere else ;)

**hatrick** : pete what the fuck

 

-private message to  **p_wheezie** -

 

**mieky** : pete what the fuck

**p_wheezie** : what, i can’t flirt with u in the group chat?

**mieky** : NO

**mieky** : i thought we agreed to not make this a thing

**p_wheezie** : i mean… if u want to not have it be a thing u just have to let me know and i’ll stop

**mieky** : idk but don’t flirt with me in front of people 

**mieky** : it’s weird all things considered

**p_wheezie** : ???

 

“Mikey, who the hell are you texting?” Gee asked, moving over to try and get a glimpse of Mikey’s phone. Mikey quickly switched over to twitter and acted like they’d been there the whole time. They looked up at Gee. “Dude, I’m checking twitter. Stop being so nosy.”

 

“You looked like you were in deep conversation with someone,” Gee said. “I was just curious.”

 

“It was just twitter, I promise,” Mikey said. They got up off of their bed and grabbed all of the things they’d need to get ready. “Can you check and see if we have school today? We probably do, but I don’t want to get up and get ready for no reason, you know?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll check,” Gee said. She grabbed her phone back from where she’d set it down, and her face was lit up by the screen for a few moments while she brought up whatever she needed to find out if school had been cancelled or not. “Unfortunately, we still have school. Which means you need to go get ready.”

 

“Fuck,” Mikey said. They’d already grabbed their clothes, but that didn’t mean they wanted to go to school. School was a pain in the ass. 

 

They got out of bed and got dressed, not really feeling alive. Mikey couldn’t tell if it was because of the seasonal depression, the constant depression, or the looming reminder that they were just Pete’s side ho. And how they hated that term, because they weren’t a ho of any kind. They were just a person with a crush on someone they could never have. 

 

Gee looked as tired as Mikey felt, even though Mikey knew that the both of them had been getting plenty of sleep recently. Maybe they were both dealing with a bout of depression, and maybe they were feeding off of each other’s depression. 

 

**mieky** : who else is feeling that Seasonal Depression ™ 

**momfriend** : neurotypical voice “do some yoga it’ll make you feel better”

**spooncer** : “have you tried meditation??????????”

**spooncer** : no i have not tried meditation ms school counselor because i have nothing i want to meditate about

**mieky** : let spencer be unaware of his inner demons

**spooncer** : pls

**momfriend** : me, sitting cross-legged with my eyes closed, supposedly deep in thought and meditation: i want to die i want to die i want to die i want to die i want to die

 

- **mieky** changed the name of the group to  **i want to die** -

 

**mieky** : tis the season to be sa-ad

**momfriend** : la la la la la

**spooncer** : la la la DEATH

**mieky** : edge ™

**spooncer** : thanks mikey i try really hard to be edgy

**p_wheezie** : does everyone in this group yearn for the sweet embrace of death

**momfriend** : yeah

**momfriend** : it comes with being gay

**momfriend** : usually

**p_wheezie** : wow our lives really suck

**spooncer** : no shit

 

“We’re here,” Gee said, more to herself than to Mikey. Mikey was glad for the announcement, though, because he hadn’t been paying attention either. They got out of the car and followed Gee into the school, splitting once they were inside. Mikey headed up to their homeroom, sitting down in their seat in the back. 

 

Everything felt numb. Mikey wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than actively feeling like they wanted to die. 

 

-private message from  **dadtree** -

 

**dadtree** : This is random, but do you remember when you came over to Spencer’s house and talked about Gee’s comic thing?

**mieky** : kind of yeah

**mieky** : why

**dadtree** : You still have the jar, right? 

**mieky** : ...ye

**dadtree** : Okay, because Brendon and I found a tablet for like, 25$ on Amazon, and I’ve convinced my mom to let me buy it, but only if I can pay her back first.

**dadtree** : Do we have enough in the jar for that?

**mieky** : idk off the top of my head but i can check tonight if that helps

**mieky** : and then bring it to school or whatever

**dadtree** : Okay, cool. And then all you and Gee have to do is download a free digital art thing, and the comic can happen for real

**mieky** : do u think we need more characters or is it okay that it just has the girl/party poison/party poison’s missing sibling for now?

**mieky** : and are party and the sibling too obviously self inserts or is it ok

**dadtree** : I don’t think it matters that they’re technically just you and Gee but in an apocalypse, I think that’s pretty cool. And I think that it’ll be okay for now to just have the three mains, but later you/Gee should probably flesh out the characters some more

**dadtree** : And add some more.

**mieky** : do u want to be in the comic

**dadtree** : Eh… I don’t care either way. It’s not my comic. I’m just helping your sister get a tablet.

**mieky** : thanks by the way

**dadtree** : No problem. 

 

Mikey leaned back in their chair. They still felt like death, but now they had something to look forward to. It wasn’t even something for themselves, personally, but they were super close with Gee and they knew that the tablet, and getting to really work on the comic, would help Gee feel better. It wouldn’t cure her depression, because that wasn’t how mental illnesses worked, but anything was better than nothing.

 

The door to Mr. Armstrong’s classroom opened, and Frank came in, untangling himself from a scarf. He was wearing a beanie, the scarf he was trying to get free from, and three jackets that Mikey could see. He looked ridiculous, cold, and pissed off. Mikey had no idea how he survived living in New Jersey. 

 

“Hey, Mikes,” Frank said, dropping his hat and his scarf onto his desk before sitting down. He was also wearing fingerless gloves with skeleton bones on them. “I forgot how much I don’t like going to school when there’s snow. I get cold too easily.”

 

“How did you survive New Jersey?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Jackets,” Frank said. Fair enough. 

 

By the time Mikey got to drama class, it had started snowing outside again, and everyone in drama was pressed to the windows, watching the flakes fall. Mikey considered joining them, since Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer were also over there, but they didn’t have enough energy to act like the falling flakes were super cool. So they walked to the back of the room and sat down in their usual seat, noting that they’d be sitting next to Brendon today. 

 

Brendon, Spencer, and Dallon always sat next to each other, but they never sat in the same order. It was always a mystery as to who Mikey would end up sitting next to in class. 

 

“Alright, I know that the first snowfall of winter is always interesting and full of mystery, but we do have a musical to get through!” Ms. Jones called out, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Come on, we’ll be starting auditions today, now that it’s December. Once everyone’s in their seats, Laura can start passing out the audition sign up sheet around, and I can explain the process. If we finish early, I’ll let you all go outside in the snow for a little bit.”

 

That got everyone to move, and soon enough, people were climbing over seats and trying to settle down so that class would start. Brendon--in heels, of course--leapt over the row of seats in front of Mikey and landed cleanly into her seat. Mikey was impressed, and they let Brendon know. Brendon winked. “Thanks. I’m a professional.”

 

“Yeah, she can do everything actors do, but backwards and in high heels,” Spencer said, but there was an affectionate smile on his face that told Mikey he really did appreciate Brendon’s weird acrobatic talents. 

 

“She’s pretty impressive,” Dallon added. Brendon ducked her head, but Mikey could tell that she was secretly basking in her datemates’ praise. Brendon was the type of person to genuinely believe what people said to her. Mikey wished that they had that much confidence in themselves. All they had was depression and a talented older sister. 

 

Ms. Jones clapped her hands, silencing the class. Everyone turned their attention to her, because they knew they’d get out early if they did what they were told. She smiled up at all of them, like she knew that they’d be listening today. “As you know, we will be putting on a production of the musical  _ Anything Goes _ this May. Since it’s our final month together before the break, it is time to begin the official audition process. I’ve already started thinking about which roles will be best for each of you, but my mind can still be swayed. As the audition sheet is passed around--” she motioned to Laura, who had given a clipboard to someone in the front row, “--please write your name by the parts you want to audition for. You can audition for up to four parts, but you must audition for at least one.”

 

She moved to the other side of the classroom. “Also, if you want to be involved in backstage and production, please add your name to that section as well. We’re always looking for more people to help out behind the scenes.”

 

Mikey still didn’t know a lot about the musical, even though they’d been hanging out with Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon the entire semester and had actually been paying attention in class. They supposed it was because they’d never bothered to memorise anyone’s names, so when the sign up sheet came around to them, they nudged Brendon’s shoulder and whispered, “who’s who? I’m bad with names.”

 

Brendon rolled her eyes and gave Mikey a quick run-through of who everyone was in the musical. Mikey ended up signing up for the role of the ship’s captain and Erma Latour, who was a gangster’s girlfriend, apparently. Mikey wasn’t a girl, but they didn’t think that a gangster’s girlfriend would have too big of a role. 

 

The class managed to get everything done early, and so Ms. Jones and Laura opened the doors to the hallway and let everyone head outside through the auditorium. It had stopped snowing, but there were at least two inches of snow on the ground and everyone was running around, having the time of their life. 

 

“I wore the wrong shoes for this,” Brendon said, laughing. She knelt down and sculpted a snowball with her bare hands, her ankles shaking as she worked to keep her balance in the snow. She stood back up and hurled the snowball at Spencer, even though he was literally two feet away from her. 

 

“Hey, you fucker!” Spencer said, and threw snow back at her. Brendon ducked behind Dallon, who obviously wasn’t going to stand around and be their girlfriend’s shield, and so they spun around with Brendon on their back. She kicked at the air, laughing as Spencer grabbed more chunks of snow and tossed them at his datemates. He bumped elbows with Mikey. “Come on, help me out a little. Dallon keeps moving.”

 

“I’ve got shitty aim,” Mikey said. They couldn’t aim with their hands, but they were surprisingly good at sports that involved kicking. Not good enough to be on a team, but good enough that they didn’t embarrass themselves too much during middle school gym class. 

 

“So?” Spencer said, and tossed snow into the space between Brendon and Dallon. Dallon kicked snow at Spencer. “Just throw it.”

 

“Alright,” Mikey said. They bent down and grabbed as much snow as they could, and then hurled it at Brendon and Dallon. Brendon swatted some of it away with her hand, and soon the four of them were having a full on snowball war. It was actually pretty fun, even though Mikey was underdressed for the weather. 

 

The bell rang, signalling a class change, and everyone groaned before heading back inside to get their stuff so that they could head to their next class. On the way back in, Spencer bumped his shoulder against Mikey. “I know we joke about a lot of stuff in the group chat, since we’re all kind of mentally unstable, but I just want to make sure that you’re not serious about that. Do you want to kill yourself or was that just the constant sadness talking?”

 

“I don’t want to kill myself,” Mikey said, which was true. It wasn’t like they were actively looking for ways to die, but if death came for them, they wouldn’t exactly fight it. They shrugged, shivering a little as the snow began to melt and seep through the fabric of their jacket. “I’m just sad, you know. Like, depression sad.”

 

“I get that,” Spencer said. “But hey, at least there’s snow.”

 

“Yeah, that was actually pretty fun,” Mikey said, smiling a little. Snow wouldn’t solve their problems, but it was a pretty good distraction from reality. And Mikey could use a distraction from reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	39. Lindsey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short, whoops. Also, the spacing is a little weird for whatever reason (sorry about that, I don't know how to fix it?)

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ ** _   
_ _ opinion on snow: if there’s not enough to cancel school i don’t care _ _   
_ _   
_ **_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ ** _   
_ __ i’m serious tho like who the fuck is going to pay attention to algebra when theres snow outside!

  
  
“Are you complaining about how we still have school even though it snowed again last night?” Gee asked. It was the end of the day, on a Monday, and Gee and Mikey were the first to arrive at the GSA meeting. Mr. Armstrong was doing his thing where he pretended to do teacher shit but was really listening in on people’s conversations. Mikey didn’t mind. They’d learned early on that Mr. Armstrong didn’t really care what students did in their spare time.    


  
Mr. Armstrong continued to be super fucking cool. Mikey was so glad they had him as a teacher.    


  
“Kind of,” Mikey said, and showed Gee their tweets. Gee’s eyes scanned the screen, and they nodded at Mikey. “Yeah, me too. Everyone was watching the windows, not the teacher.”   


  
“If it makes you feel any better,” Mr. Armstrong said from his desk, “we don’t want to be here while it’s snowing either.”   


  
“So why did we have school today, if no one wanted to be here?” Gee asked. Mr. Armstrong shrugged. It was something about the school system, and how since the roads were clear there was no reason to keep kids from getting an education. Mikey thought it was bullshit, and Mr. Armstrong agreed with them on that point. It wasn’t like the students were going to pay attention if there was snow outside. Snow was the greatest distraction for anyone, ever.   


  
The door to Mr. Armstrong’s classroom opened, and Brendon, Spencer, and Dallon came in. Brendon had given up on trying to wear heels through the snow and was back in her sneakers. She let go of Spencer’s and Dallon’s hands and bounded over to Mikey and Gee, sliding in between them on a desk. “Hey, you fucks. Mikey, did you remember the jar?”   


  
“Yep,” Mikey said. They’d made a secret group chat with everyone except Gee to make sure that their friends were okay with Mikey and Dallon using the sin jar money to buy Gee a tablet so she could make her comic digital. They’d all been fine with it, and so Mikey had gotten their mom to let them go over to Spencer’s house with the sin jar to make sure they had enough money to buy the tablet.    


  
Brendon grinned. “Sweet.”   


  
“What are you doing with the jar?” Gee asked, frowning. Brendon winked. “It’s a surprise.”   


  
“Now I’m worried,” Gee said, as Brendon called across the room to let Spencer and Dallon know that Mikey had the jar and that their plan was going to happen.   


  
The rest of the GSA showed up (it was just the usual twelve and Mr. Armstrong, but Mikey didn’t mind that the club wasn’t super popular), and Ray and Mikey got the meeting started. As they went around in a circle and brought up whatever they wanted to talk about, Mikey noticed that Lindsey looked a little nervous.    


  
She was swinging her legs underneath the desk when it was her turn to speak. Lindsey cleared her throat and said, “so, Gee already knows this, but I’ve been questioning my gender a lot recently, and I think I might be non-binary. Or, like, genderless. I don’t really know, but I’ve been thinking about it, and I’d like for people to start using they/them pronouns for me. So, there’s that.”   


  
Ray nodded. She still hadn’t come out to the entire group, but she’d told Mikey, Gee, and Lindsey not to worry about misgendering her in front of other people. She’d come out when she was ready.    


  
“What’re we doing for the holidays?” Pete asked. It wasn’t even their turn. Beside them, Joe rolled their eyes, and Pete elbowed them in the side. “Shut up, dude, and let me have my Christmas cheer.”   


  
“I hate Christmas,” Joe said. When everyone looked at them like they’d just announced that they were really Ted Cruz the Zodiac killer, they sighed and said, “I’m Jewish. Why the fuck would I care about Christmas?”   


  
“Okay, good point,” Ray said. “We should probably work on not assuming everyone here is Christian or from a Christian family. Would you be okay with a holiday party, or would it be better if we made a bunch of banners saying fuck Christmas, there are other holidays in December?”   


  
Joe laughed. “Can we make those banners? It’d fuck with everyone.”   


  
“If you’re going to put them up in the school, make sure not to say fuck,” Mr. Armstrong noted from his desk. “But I’ve got some construction paper and markers in the cabinets over there. Go wild.”   


  
“Sweet,” Joe said, jumping down from their desk. Lindsey was right behind them, which wasn’t surprising, considering they weren’t Christian either. The meeting sort of derailed after that, because the twelve of them ended up moving the desks back and working on banners for holidays that weren’t Christmas. Joe and Lindsey also made a fuck Christmas banner, but they promised Mr. Armstrong that it wouldn’t go up anywhere in the school.    


  
“I don’t really care if it does or not, because I’m not the biggest fan of capitalism Christmas, but I’d like to have a job after winter break,” he said.    


  
“Got it,” Lindsey gave him a thumbs up from where they were on the floor. “We’ll make sure no one from the school sees it.”   


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos/a comment if you enjoyed it!


	40. The Boob Cookie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot about this fic for like, a week, because I was doing Many Other things. But don't worry, we're back. Also, I made Mikey's twitter (which is @mkwavy1 on twitter) and you can follow/ask them and the nohic squad questions, whatever). 
> 
> Right now it's just tweets from the fic and a few others that came out of me making a twitter for the first time in a while, but it'll end up being more like the check please twitter account as time goes on. (Check please is a web comic and you should read it)
> 
> Also, not to give out any Spoilers or anything but... there's going to be a lot going on for the winter break chapters. Get ready kiddos.

Pete fell back onto Gee’s bed dramatically, their feet kicking into the air. “We’ve got one more exam day left, and then no more school for the rest of the year.”   
  


“That’d sound more impressive if January wasn’t in like, two weeks,” Dallon said. They were tuning Lindsey’s bass and sitting on one of the amps. They were back in the Way sibling’s basement, because Lena had promised to make them cookies and Lindsey, Dallon, and Pete couldn’t resist grandmother food.    


  
Pete rolled over onto their side. “It’s two weeks and two days, Dallon. We’ve got the weekend too, you know.”   


  
“Weekends don’t count when it comes to days off from school,” Mikey said. From the other side of the room, where they were on Gee’s laptop searching for something, Lindsey snapped their fingers and made a finger gun at Mikey. “That’s true.”   


  
Mikey threw their hands up in a victory pose, and Pete flipped them off from the bed. Pete pouted. “Well, fuck you, Mikey Way. Also, I’m gonna start using he/him pronouns again, so there’s that. It’s cool if you wanna use they/them with me, but I’ve been feeling manly recently and I don’t know why. So I’m using man pronouns now.”   


  
“Pronouns have no gender,” Dallon said.    


  
“I know,” Pete said. “But I’m a nonbinary man and these are my man pronouns.”   


  
Dallon paused what they were doing and stared at Pete for a moment. “...right.”   


  
“Man pronouns,” Pete repeated. “And tomorrow I’ve got my last two exams, and then I’m doing nothing involving school until January whenever the fuck we go back. Also, me and Trick are gonna get some holiday Starbucks on Saturday, so if you wanna bring your date people feel free.”   


  
“Was that a Dallon only offer or is anyone invited?” Lindsey asked. They were lucky. They actually had a date person. Of course, that date person was Mikey’s sister, who Mikey had no interest in dating, ever, and so Mikey wasn’t super jealous of Lindsey. They were more jealous of Patrick, and whatever she had going on with Pete. Mikey wanted that, whatever it was.    


  
Pete glanced over at Lindsey, and then at Mikey. “Anyone can come. I didn’t mean for it to come off like it was some type of weird quint date thing.”   


  
“It wouldn’t really be a quint date,” Dallon said.    


  
Pete shook his head. “Shush, you knew what I meant. The offer’s still there, though. If anyone wants to join me and Patrick on Saturday, we’ll be at Starbucks for most of the day. It’s not like we’ll have anything better to do.”   


  
“I’ll consider it,” Dallon said. “Now are we going to play bass or are we going to talk about stuff?”   


  
“Both?” Pete offered, and Lindsey hit him in the butt with a shoe. Pete frowned, but sat up and stopped distracting Mikey and Dallon (who had the basses) from what they were working on. Gee was out at Starbucks with Frank, trying to help him study for his final two exams. Mikey had no idea how that was going, but better Gee than Mikey, because Gee knew what she was doing when it came to final exams, and Mikey was completely clueless.   
  


“I still can’t believe your mom let you have us over when we’ve got exams tomorrow,” Lindsey said.    
  


“I convinced her that we’d be studying while we worked on bass,” Mikey said. “That, and Lena promised cookies and to make sure we were being productive. Mom’s really bad at saying no to Lena.”   


  
“Your grandmother is exactly what I want to be if I live that long,” Pete said. He’d pulled out his notes, but he wasn’t looking over them. He was on his phone instead.    


  
Mikey raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”   


  
“I mean, she’s awesome!” Pete said. “She bakes food for you and your friends, gets you out of having to study, and she said my hair was cool when she let me in. I don’t know if I mentioned that, but your badass grandma thinks I have cool hair.”   
  


“What a compliment,” Lindsey said, drily.   
  


Pete turned around to snap back at them with a witty comment of his own, but there was a knock at the door and it turned out to be none other than Lena, holding a bowl of cookies and telling the four of them that there was hot cider upstairs if they wanted to take a break from their bass practice for a while and have a real snack.    
  


Naturally, no one refused that offer. The four of them headed up the basement stairs, drawn by freshly baked cookies and the smell of apple cider. Lena let them choose where to eat, because she said there was no reason to eat at the kitchen table unless they absolutely wanted to, and so they headed to the living room, spread out a blanket on the floor, and started on the cookies.    


  
Mikey pulled out their phone and snapped a picture of the four of them, to put on snapchat and make the rest of their friend group wish they were also cool bass players.    
  


They didn’t post the picture to twitter, because Mikey never put their face on their twitter, but they did check twitter to see if they’d missed anything interesting.    
  
****

**_t(-.-t) @pwheezie_ ** _   
_ _ i should make a flirting 101 book because i just embarrassed myself really bad in front of my crush #whoops _ __   


_   
_ **_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ ** _   
_ _ @pwheezie what’d you do  _ __   


_   
_ **_t(-.-t) @pwheezie_ ** _   
_ _ i compared myself to their relative (idk why i thought that would be a good idea) _ __   


_   
_ **_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ ** _   
_ _ ok enoby dark’ness dementia raven i see who u really are _ __   


_   
_ **_t(-.-t) @pwheezie_ ** _   
_ __ leave me and my accidental incest comment alone i don’t want to fuck any relatives   


  
“Dude, Mikey, how long does it take you to post something on snapchat?” Lindsey asked as they reached for a cookie. Mikey flushed and put their phone down. Pete was still on his, and Mikey wondered what exactly was holding his attention for so long.    


  
Mikey gestured to Pete. “I’m not the only one, let me live!”   


  
“You kids and your technology,” Dallon said, imitating an older person’s voice. Mikey was glad that their grandma was out of the room, because they didn’t know if she’d appreciate that comment or not.    


  
“So, are we done bassing for today?” Pete asked. “Because that’s fun and all but I kind of need to study, or at least look at my notes and pretend I’m studying so I can feel better about myself.”   


  
“I think we’re done,” Mikey said, looking at the other two to make sure they were also okay with the Bass Fuckers’ meeting being over. Mikey thought that they needed a different name, one that didn’t have Fuckers in it, but so far no one could come up with anything catchier and so the four of them were still the Bass Fuckers. Their personal group chat was still up, and still called that.    


  
“Cool,” Pete said. “I’ll call my dad and he can come pick everyone up.”   


  
“Or we could hang out here for a while,” Dallon said. The other three looked at them. While Mikey was sure that they’d all be willing to stick around and hang out with Mikey and Lena (who was getting cooler and more awesome the longer Mikey was around her), they all did have exams the next day. Of the four of them, Dallon was the one who cared the most about school. Dallon shrugged. “What? Maybe I just like hanging out with you guys.”   


  
“Oh no, you’ve got another reason,” Pete narrowed his eyes and leaned across the bowl of cookies to stare Dallon down. “What is it? Spill, or I start doing impulsive things in Mikey’s living room.”   


  
“Please don’t,” Mikey said. They really didn’t want to clean up whatever Pete did.    


  
Lindsey stretched out their legs so that their bare feet were up against Pete. They then kicked Pete’s leg. “Don’t fuck with Mikey’s house. They don’t even run the place.”   


  
“Okay,” Pete said, still staring Dallon down. “So I won’t wreck Mikey’s house. But I’ll do something if you don’t tell me what’s up.”   


  
Dallon sighed and pushed Pete back. “Brendon and Spencer have been acting really odd lately, and I’m trying to give them whatever space they need to work their own issues out. Also, I know that if I go home directly from here, I won’t get the chance to see either of them until tomorrow, and I’m kind of hoping that they’ll be less awkward so that the three of us can hang out later tonight.”   
  


“Ooh, trouble in paradise,” Pete said. Lindsey kicked him, harder. They glared. “Don’t be an ass.”   
  


“I’m not being an ass,” Pete said.   
  


“You’re being an ass,” Mikey said, because it was easier to side with Lindsey and support Dallon than it was to agree with Pete. Besides, they’d already dealt with Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer having relationship issues. They didn’t want to do it again.    


  
Pete frowned. “Sorry, jeez.”   


  
“It’s fine,” Dallon said, waving Pete off. “I’m probably just overreacting. I’ll talk to them later and ask them about it.”   
  


“Communication is the most important thing in keeping a relationship healthy,” Lindsey said, sagely, and then proceeded to drop a piece of their cookie down their shirt. They stared down at their chest. “Shit. I’ve got cookie boobs now.”   


  
“Are you going to leave it there?” Pete asked.    


  
Lindsey shook their head. “Nah, I’m gonna eat it.”   


  
“But it’s been in your boobs,” Pete said.    


  
“And?” Lindsey said, digging the piece of cookie out of their shirt. “I’m pretty sure you’ve jerked off in the shower and then eaten something before you really washed your hands. And my boobs are clean, anyway, because I know how to take care of my skin.”   


  
“I’ve never exfoliated in my life,” Mikey said. Lindsey nodded sagely at them. “I know, Mikey. Sometimes I want to scrub at your face until it all falls off.”   


  
“Please don’t,” Mikey said.    


  
Lindsey winked. “I won’t, don’t worry.”   


  
“Thank God,” Mikey said. The four of them returned to the cookies. Pete, Lindsey, and Dallon left to go back to their houses and really study once the sun had gone down, and about fifteen minutes later, Mikey heard Gee coming up from the basement. They excused themselves to go back down to their bedroom and pretend to study for their finals, and told Lena and Gee that they’d be up eventually.    


  
-private message to  **spooncer** -   


 

**mieky** : ok not to pry but dallon seemed a little upset today and mentioned that u and brendon were acting weird   
****

**mieky** : should i be worried/staging another intervention   
****

**spooncer** : probably not? brendon’s ex is coming down over the break and she’s worried   
****

**spooncer** : also her ex and i are (still?) best friends so there’s that   
****

**mieky** : brendon dated ur best friend?   
****

**spooncer** : yeah, ryan. idk if you know him/know about him?   
****

**mieky** : pete told me what happened kind of   
****

**mieky** : it sounds complicated and dramatic   
****

**spooncer** : it is   
****

**spooncer** : ryan’s also staying with me and my family so… its going to be interesting   
****

**mieky** : u should probably tell dallon   
****

**spooncer** : they know that ryan’s coming over for break tho   
****

**mieky** : no but u should tell them that that’s why u and brendon are acting weird   
****

**mieky** : i really don’t want to have to do the intervention thing again   
****

**spooncer** : i’ll mention it to them don’t worry   
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	41. fuckchristmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad gets into the Christmas spirit... kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not updating earlier; I've got a lot of college nonsense going on at the moment, and I'm also working on way too many fics at once (help). 
> 
> Also, I might take a two/three week posting break once we get to new years, just because I need it and it'll also give me a chance to work on the twitter for this fic/potentially make a sideblog on tumblr (if tumblr will ever let me have the url @nohic). 
> 
> ((The twitter is @mkwavy1, if you want to follow it. I don't update much, but i'm working on that))

**p_wheezie** : last day of finals who’s ready to Get Festive   
****

**joetrohfro** : no   
****

**p_wheezie** : D: joe why   
****

**joetrohfro** : because fuck christmas   
****

**zoid** : FUCK CHRISMAS   
****

**zoid** : it’s literally just christian capitalism and it’s overdone   
****

**p_wheezie** : i like it tho   
  
  
- **joetrohfro** changed their name to  **fuckchristmas** -   


  
**fuckchristmas** : well good 4 u peter me and lindsey are gonna go burn a christmas tree and piss on the ashes   
****

**zoid** : can we leave the trees out of it they did nothing wrong   
****

**fuckchristmas** : we burn a church and piss on the ashes?   
****

**zoid** : sure   
****

**mieky** : i feel like i missed an entire political movement   
****

**fuckchristmas** : the attack on christmas is real mikey and it’s being lead by two angry nonbinary teenagers   
****

**fuckchristmas** : one of them is a lesbian and the other has done a weed   
****

**p_wheezie** : weed-sexual   
****

**mieky** : pete i’m going to remove u from this group i swear to god   
****

**zoid** : or u can make him put a dollar in the jar   
****

**mieky** : 2 dollars   
****

**p_wheezie** : why????   
****

**mieky** : ur an inconvenience    
****

**p_wheezie** : i’m??? offended???    
****

**mieky** : sucks for you then    


  
“I’m not ready for this exam at all,” Gee said. She had sixth period lunch, so her first two hours of the day were going to be spent in her study hall. She’d probably be drawing instead of studying for her math final, but Mikey couldn’t really judge her because it wasn’t like they’d spent the previous afternoon doing anything towards their own finals. 

  
Mikey reached around to the back of the car and grabbed their backpack. “Well, maybe if you studied--”   


  
“Oh, like you studied for anything at all,” Gee said. Mikey couldn’t see her face, but Mikey was certain that their sister was rolling her eyes at them.    


  
Mikey sat up, turning to glare at Gee through their bangs. “Shut up. I know what I’m talking about.”   
  


“No you don’t,” Gee said. “You’re fourteen. You’re basically still a child.”   


  
“We’ve been over this: childhood ends when you turn thirteen,” Mikey said. They pulled their beanie down over their hair so that it wouldn’t freeze in the cold morning air, and headed towards the school.    


  
Their exams were surprisingly easy, even though Mikey had barely studied the night before. They left their second exam period that day convinced that they were either an absolute genius or that they had failed everything and they only finished quickly because they got everything wrong. It was a slightly terrifying way to end the semester.    
  


Mikey found Andy and Pete hanging out by the drama room, and they walked over to say hey even though they were trying to keep their distance from Pete. Pete grinned up at Mikey. “Hey, dude! Ready for Starbucks?”   


  
“Aren’t we doing that tomorrow?” Mikey asked, sitting down against the wall beside Andy.    


  
Pete shrugged. “I changed my mind. We’re collecting everyone and heading out as soon as the whole group’s here. Also, I convinced Andy to try out for the drama thing with me, because I wanted to be a part of it. Brendon and Dallon wouldn’t shut up about the show, and it seemed like it would be fun, so now we’re doing it.”   
  


“You can try out without being in drama class?” Mikey said. Their heart was beating rapidly in their chest, because they didn’t want Pete to be in the musical. If Pete got a part in the musical, Mikey would have to spend more time around him, and that was the exact opposite of what they were trying to do.    
  


They needed to stop crushing on Pete when they knew they couldn’t have him.    
  


“Yeah,” Pete said. “There’re auditions all during finals, right after school lets out. Me and Andy are about to go in, so if you want to text the group chat and tell them to join us here, that’d be rad.”   


  
“Pete, you could have done that yourself,” Andy said, rolling his eyes. Pete pouted at Andy. “Yeah, but then everyone would get annoyed that I changed the plans last minute. You know Patrick hates when I do that.”   


  
“Everyone hates when you do that,” Andy said. “We have lives outside of you, you know.”   


  
“I do,” Pete nodded. The doors to the drama room opened then, and Laura stuck her head out. She told Pete and Andy to come in, and that they were ready for the final set of auditions, and so the two boys got up and headed towards the door. Pete leaned back through the door. He pointed at Mikey. “Send the text, my sweet little dude.”   


  
“Never call me that again,” Mikey said, smiling a little.Pete winked and shut the door, leaving Mikey alone in the snow. Mikey rolled their eyes and pulled out their phone. They had no problem texting the group and letting them know that Pete had changed plans last minute.    


  
**mieky** : hey so we’re getting starbucks now apparently   
****

**mieky** : never let pete be in charge of things   
****

**brebdo** : tell pete to come find me so we can fight irl   
****

**mieky** : he’s auditioning for the musical   
****

**spooncer** : he can’t sing for shit tho what is he doing   
****

**mieky** : idk   
****

**spooncer** : message him and tell him to find talent elsewhere   
****

**brebdo** : u can’t see it but spencer’s looking for the knife emoji so he can send it to pete   
****

**spooncer** : do i just not have it what the fuck   
****

**dadtree** : Spencer isn’t adult enough to have a knife.   
****

**spooncer** : ur literally like 4 months older than me   
****

**dadtree** : Yes, but I have a knife emoji and you don’t   
****

**mieky** : dont u 2 have the same phone   
****

**mieky** : also my hands are cold   
****

**dadtree** : Go inside! The drama room is open right now.   
****

**spooncer** : sabotage pete’s audition   
****

**p_wheezie** : listen sponce i came here to have a good time and i am honestly feeling so attacked right now   
****

**p_wheezie** : also andy’s going first so that’s why i can text u fuckers   
****

**mieky** : i hope andy gets a part and you don’t   
****

**p_wheezie** : wow mikey way to be rude   
****

**brebdo** : ok but at least andy can sing   
****

**p_wheezie** : i can sing   
****

**spooncer** : no u can’t   
****

**brebdo** : he’s right   
****

**dadtree** : Yeah, I’m on his side (Spencer’s)   
****

**p_wheezie** : wow ok i can see when i’m not wanted   
****

**brebdo** : yeah peter go do ur audition   
****

**p_wheezy** : i’m changing the name of this back to no one loves pete wentz bc its still tru   
  
  
- **p_wheezy** changed the name of the group to  **no one loves pete wentz** -   


  
**mieky** : no one change it ever again it’s perfect now   
****

**mieky** : also i’m still fucking cold   
****

**brebdo** : GO INSIDE U FUCK   
****

**mieky** : ok fine

  
Mikey pulled the doors to the stage open and headed inside. It was startlingly warm, and they noticed that there were a lot of other kids just hanging around the auditorium. Mikey ducked their head and headed to an empty section of seats. As soon as they were settled in, they pulled their phone out again. It wasn’t like they had homework to do. It was officially winter break.    


  
-private chat from  **brebdo** -   
  
  
**brebdo** : are u and pete still ok or do you need an excuse to get out of starbucks   
****

**mieky** : it’s ok   
****

**mieky** : i just hope he doesn’t get a part in the play bc then i have to deal with him constantly being there u know   
****

**brebdo** : i get that   
****

**brebdo** : also dallon told me to tell u that we talked about shit and we’re all good now   
****

**mieky** : ok good   
****

**mieky** : i didn't want another shit storm   
****

**brebdo** : sure mikey   
****

**brebdo** : wait does this mean that whenever u and pete inevitably fuck up i have to clean up the mess   
****

**mieky** : one of u three will   
****

**brebdo** : well fuck   
  


Mikey glanced up from their phone to see Andy coming over to them. They waved, and Andy waved back before moving through the seats to sit next to Mikey. He dropped his bag between his legs. “So, turns out I can’t act for shit.”   
  


“I can’t either, if that makes you feel better,” Mikey said. “We can just be background cast members together, and laugh at everyone else on stage.”   
  


“I can sing, though, which your drama teacher said was important,” Andy said. He frowned. I just hope she doesn’t put me in a giant part that involves a lot of after school practice. That’d be a pain in the ass.”   
  


“Aren’t you and Pete on the soccer team?” Mikey said. Andy nodded. Mikey bit at the corner of their thumb, pulling of a small piece of skin. “So, how’s that going to work, being in the play but also being on the soccer team?”   
  


“Dude, scrimmages don’t start until, like, the end of March,” Andy said. “And me and Pete can handle it. Pete’s good at getting what he wants and the girl’s team loves me enough that they’d probably work around my schedule if I asked them to.”   
  


“Would you?”   
  


Andy shook his head. “No. I’m not that kind of guy.”   
  


“Well, that’s good to know,” Mikey said. Pete came around from the back of the stage then, phone in hand and texting someone. He fell into the seat on the other side of Mikey, even though Andy was right there. Pete was really bad at being subtle, apparently. Mikey rolled their eyes and didn’t tweet about it. They didn’t want @pwheezie to know that they were having romance issues in real life.    
  


“You wanna ride with me, Patrick, and Andy?” Pete asked, leaning into Mikey’s space. Mikey was pretty sure he couldn’t be less obvious if he tried. “Or is Gee driving you?”   
  


“I can ride with you guys,” Mikey said, because why the hell not. It wasn’t like they could suck Pete’s dick in the back of someone’s car. Especially not with Patrick there. That would be a little too obvious.    
  


They all got in Joe’s car, because of the five of them, Joe was the only one with consistent access to a vehicle, and headed to the Starbucks near the school. It wasn’t the one that Gee and Mikey usually went to, because that was where their parents thought they went and they didn’t want their parents checking in on them, but it was still pretty nice. It was also flooded with high school kids.    
  


The employees all looked a little stressed. Mikey could understand.    
  


Gee, Lindsey, Frank, and Ray had pushed two long tables together and grabbed a bunch of chairs for everyone. Mikey headed over to them and claimed the chair next to Ray, since Gee was surrounded already. “Did you guys order?”   
  


“We were waiting for the line to get shorter,” Ray said. She glanced over her shoulder. The line was still long. Pete was now in the line, along with his friends and his Patrick. Mikey glared at Patrick for a moment before realising that they had no claim on him, and then turned back to their friends. “And what about Brendon and Spencer and Dallon? Are they coming too, or?”   
  


“I have no idea,” Ray said. She turned to Gee. “You should probably get in line, since you usually get black coffee anyway.”   
  


“You’re not going to get one of the cool flavours?” Frank looked offended. He bumped Gee’s shoulder with his own. “Gee, come on, it’s the holiday season. You can’t get boring coffee during the holidays.”   
  


“Actually, I can,” Gee said. She and Lindsey were holding hands on the table, and Mikey thought that Frank was doing a much better job at hiding his jealously than Mikey was doing with Pete and Patrick. Of course, Mikey knew what they were looking for, with Frank. Frank might not have told anyone else.    
  


“Oh, hey, Brendon said that she and the others will be here in like, ten minutes,” Lindsey said. “Apparently they needed to get something from Spencer’s house?”   
  


“They were probably making out,” Ray said. Mikey nodded in agreement. Ever since the three of them had gotten their shit together, they’d been grossly domestic with each other. It was sweet, but it was also kind of funny. Mikey had no idea how three people managed to make out with each other at the same time, but somehow Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer were managing it.    
  


“Speaking of making out,” Frank said, and Mikey almost kicked him under the table. “Laura offered me a permanent position as her rhythm guitarist, starting next January. So I’m almost in a band now.”   
  


“What does that have to do with making out?” Gee asked.    
  


“Nothing,” Frank said, but he wouldn’t look Gee directly in the eyes. “I was just trying to segway the conversation.”   


  
“Well, you kind of suck at that,” Ray said.    
  


Frank flipped her off. “Eat my ass, Toro.”   


 

“I’m good, thanks,” she said. Pete dropped into the open seat beside Mikey. Mikey didn’t have an excuse to change seats, because there wasn’t much room at the table, and it would be weird for them to just get up and move away from Pete.    
  


This would be a lot easier if Pete would just give Mikey some space and try not to act like they were secretly banging behind Patrick’s (and everyone else’s) back. Mikey stood up and told the rest of the group that they were going to get coffee. Really, it was just an excuse to put some space between themselves and Pete.    


  
“Mikey, can you get me a grande black?” Gee said, pulling a ten out of her wallet. Mikey nodded and grabbed the ten, and got in line. Andy, Patrick, and Joe were all waiting for their drinks at the other end of the counter, and Mikey was behind a random old dude whose hair was receding a lot. Mikey thought that he’d look better if he just shaved his head and gave up on trying to have hair, but they didn’t say anything because it wasn’t their hair and also they didn’t know the guy.    
  


“What can I get you?” The barista asked. Mikey hadn’t realised that they were all the way up to the counter.    


  
“Um, a grande black coffee and then a grande gingerbread latte,” Mikey said. They’d had the gingerbread latte a few times before, and they’d liked it. It had a weird but good taste. Gee thought it was gross, but then again, Gee liked coffee that tasted like ass sometimes, so Mikey didn’t trust their sister’s taste.    
  


Mikey paid and headed over to the end of the counter. Andy and Joe had already gotten their coffees and returned to the group, but Patrick was still there. He looked irritated that his coffee hadn’t shown up. Mikey stood beside him. “I don’t usually go to this one. I didn’t realise the line would be so long.”   
  


“I don’t mind the line,” Patrick said. “I think they forgot my order or something, though.”   
  


“You can ask?” Mikey said. They wouldn’t ask. They’d make Gee do it, or someone else in their friend group, if Gee couldn’t. Mikey was bad at talking to strangers.    


  
“Good idea,” Patrick said, and pushed his way forward to get the attention of the barista nearest the counter. A few moments later, Patrick had a hot drink in his hand and was heading back to the table. He took Mikey’s seat, which seemed a lot like some kind of metaphor, and Mikey turned away from the table so that no one could see their face fall.    
  


They didn’t want to be next to Pete, but they didn’t want to lose their place beside him either.    


  
Eventually, their order came up, and they returned to the table with their two drinks. Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon had arrived, and Spencer had gotten in line to order for the three of them. Which was the kind of sweet domesticity everyone was expecting from those three. Dallon and Brendon were all in each other’s space, too, but Dallon scooted over closer to Patrick so that Mikey could have a chair.    


  
Mikey slid Gee’s black coffee over to her. “Here’s your ass coffee.”   
  


“Thank you, and also fuck you, black coffee is good,” Gee said, sticking her tongue out at her younger sibling. Mikey shrugged. They weren’t going to argue, since they’d never had black coffee and didn’t know for themselves if it was good. They just assumed that since there was nothing in it, it wasn’t that good.    
  


“So, Peter, now that you’ve gathered us all here, what do you really want?” Brendon said, leaning more into Dallon’s personal space. Dallon wrapped their arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. It was a sickly sweet gesture.    


  
“A chance to hang out with my friends before everyone goes away to wherever for their break?” Pete said. “Also, to brag because me, Joe, Andy, and Patrick are all going to my parents’ lake house in New York for New Years, and it’s gonna be fucking awesome.”   
  


“Dude, lucky,” Frank said. “My mom and I are going to buttfuck nowhere, West Virginia to visit see my grandparents. I don’t even like my grandparents that much.”   
  


“Sucks,” Pete said, shrugging. Mikey could tell he didn’t feel that much sympathy for Frank’s situation. Mikey felt a little bit bad for Frank, but at least Frank got to go somewhere over the break. Gee and Mikey were staying home for the entire time, because their parents both had their jobs, and they usually spent Christmas with Lena anyway.    
  


“Anyone else doing anything over break?” Gee asked. “Because anyone who’s stuck here can always come hang out with me and Mikey, now that we’ve got a cool granma who lets us do pretty much anything.”   
  


Spencer sat down with three cups of coffee in his hand as Gee asked. He glanced at Brendon before answering, “I think an old friend of mine is coming down for Christmas. But other than that, I’m not really leaving. My dad’s family lives like twenty minutes away from here.”   


  
“Your friend can hang out with us too,” Gee said, and then added, “if they want to,” when Brendon and Spencer both looked wary of the idea. Dallon looked straight at Mikey and dropped their eyes down to Mikey’s phone, which they’d placed on the table in case they had the urge to check it. Mikey raised an eyebrow at Dallon, but they just made the same motion with their head, and so Mikey picked up their phone and checked their notifications.    
  


-private message from  **dadtree** -   
  
****

**dadtree** : The friend that Spence mentioned is Ryan.    
****

**dadtree** : AKA the same guy who Brendon dated like a year ago before he slept with Pete and then moved halfway across the country without any warning.    
****

**mieky** : oh shit thats complicated   
****

**dadtree** : You don’t say.    
****

**dadtree** : Bren and I might be hanging out at your house a lot over break, but don’t tell Spencer we’re doing it. He and Ryan were close, and I think he wants to try and fix the  friendship if he can.    
****

**dadtree** : Which, kudos to him for being a good person, but Bren’s clearly still messed up about it, and I don’t want Ryan complicating things for her.    
****

**mieky** : i get that   
****

**mieky** : u two can come over whenever you want   
****

**dadtree** : Thanks, Mikey   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	42. Hush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title doesn't really have anything to do with the chapter, except it's the movie they reference. 
> 
> Also, as a warning, things are going to get interesting in this chapter, and they'll continue being a wild ride through chapter 48 (which is the chapter I'm working on now). Buckle up, kiddos; just because the gang is leaving 2016 doesn't mean 2016 is leaving them.

**fuckchristmas** : i forgot i changed my name    
****

**fuckchristmas** : also raise your hand if you’re bored and suddenly realising that you have no life outside of school   
****

**brebdo** : says the person who gets to fly out to new york in like a week   
****

**fuckchristmas** : okay…… but i’m not in new york right now so i don’t see why that matters????   
****

**brebdo** : i haven’t seen my boyfriend in two days and i only saw dallon at church so it doesn’t count   
****

**brebdo** : i’m /lonely/   
****

**mieky** : i’m helping gee figure out how to use the tablet that she just got in the mail so that’s fun   
****

**brebdo** : SHE WASNT SUPPOSED TO OPEN THAT

**brebdo** : IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR CHRISTMAS   
****

**vampiregee** : art waits for no man   
****

**vampiregee** : or vampire lady person, in this case   
****

**brebdo** : :///////////   
****

**vampiregee** : but thank you @ sin bin for the tablet i promise to post all the tiddies i draw in this chat   
****

**mieky** : please don’t show me your tiddies gee   
****

**fuckchristmas** : ...aren’t you two like right next to each other   
****

**mieky** : yes?   
****

**vampiregee** : and??   
****

**fuckchristmas** : can’t you have these conversations verbally   
****

**brebdo** : let them talk joe i want to know more about gee’s tiddies   
****

**mieky** : brendon you already have two datemates you don’t need another   
****

**brebdo** : can’t stop won’t stop   
****

**zoid** : DOLLAR IN THE JAR   
****

**brebdo** : ITS CHRISTMAS   
****

**fuckchristmas** : FUCK CHRISTMAS   
****

**zoid** : FUCK CHRISTMAS   
****

**zoid** : ayee   
****

**vampiregee** : this is why none of us have any friends   
****

**brebdo** : really? i thought it was because we’re all really fucking gay   
****

**brebdo** : also i miss my datemates but i don’t have transportation ://///   
****

**vampiregee** : well then i guess it’s time to squad the Fuck Up   


  
Gee set her phone down and reached under her desk. She pulled out a wrinkled, ink splotched dollar bill and handed it to Mikey. “Someone’s going to call me on that, I can feel it. Put it in the jar for me.”   


  
“Put it in your own jar, you fuck,” Mikey said. They got up and put the dollar in the jar anyway. It was their jar, at least for now. It was also back to being nearly empty, because they’d spent most of the money on the tablet for Gee. The tablet was one hundred percent worth it, though, because Gee thought it was super cool, and she and Mikey had already figured out how to use FireAlpaca.    


  
Ray, of course, had promised to torrent Gee a copy of Photoshop whenever she came over next, because she wanted the best for her friends. Until then, Gee was satisfied with FireAlpaca.    


  
“So, are we collecting everyone?” Gee asked. Mikey shrugged. They didn't have a problem with it, but they weren't sure where they could all go hang out. Gee brushed her hair away from her face. “We could bring them back here, but I don't want anyone to have to deal with being misgendered because of our parents.”   


  
“Aren't they at work now?” Mikey asked.    


  
“Yeah,” Gee said, “but it's not like Lena knows anything about gender either. She thinks my makeup is for drama performances.”   


  
“She's still better than the alternative,” Mikey argued. Gee raised an eyebrow. Mikey unlocked their phone again and opened up kik. “I'll see if anyone else can host us.”   
  
****

**mieky** : wait so where are we even going?? bc g and i can’t have too many people over at the moment bc out grandma is here   
****

**fuckchristmas** : pete’s house, obviously   
****

**fuckchristmas** : his parents aren’t home and it’s not like they care anyway   
****

**mieky** : sweet who needs a ride   
****

**brebdo** : me!!   
****

**brebdo** : and dal probably but idk if they’re up yet lmao   
****

**zoid** : i need a ride my mom’s at work   
****

**mieky** : ok i think gee and i can get everyone @ joe do you need a ride   
****

**fuckchristmas** : nah i’m good   


  
“We’re picking up Brendon and Lindsey, and probably Dallon if they answer their phone,” Mikey said. “And then going to Pete’s house.”   


  
“Are we going now?” Gee asked, still working on her comic. She and Mikey weren’t sure what they were going to do with it once they got enough panels done, but Gee was thinking about making a sideblog for it on her tumblr, since she had almost 1000 followers on her main, and was pretty sure that she could get people interested from there.    


  
“Yeah, probably,” Mikey said. They reached back behind themself and grabbed their shoes from the floor. They poked Gee in the side, careful not to mess up what she was drawing. “Come on, Gee. We have friends to kidnap.”   


  
“Hold on, let me save real quick,” Gee said, waving them off. Mikey rolled their eyes and bent over to lace up their boots, and when they sat back up, Gee had actually saved her drawing and was shutting down her laptop so that she could get ready to go. A few minutes later, she was ready, and the two of them headed to the car and drove off to collect everyone.    


  
Twenty minutes later, most of Mikey’s friends were all gathered in Pete’s living room, and Pete was searching through Netflix to find something to put on in the background.   


  
“We should order food,” Pete said as he scrolled through the horror section yet again. “Who wants pizza?”   


  
“Why do we always end up with pizza when you’re in charge?” Joe asked, but they didn’t offer an alternative. Pete shrugged, still going through the horror section. Mikey was pretty sure he didn’t want to watch anything in particular, and was just moving the selection around because he didn’t want to give up the remote to someone else.    


  
“I like pizza,” Pete settled on. “And it’s pretty easy to order online.”   


  
“But it’s like two in the afternoon,” Brendon said. She and Dallon had claimed the smaller of Pete’s couches, and were stretched out on top of each other. Spencer hadn’t been able to make it. Something about having to watch his younger sisters while his parents were off doing adult things in preparation for Christmas.    
  


Pete turned around and stared Brendon down like she’d just stolen his datemate. “Time isn’t real, Brendon.”   


  
“Wow, okay, we’ll get pizza then,” Brendon threw her hands up. “But you’re buying, right? Because I didn’t bring any money.”   


  
“Yeah, sure, whatever, someone pull up Dominos and make three pizzas, choose the toppings and I’ll pay whenever you’re all done,” Pete said. “Also, who’s cool with watching this movie? It’s got a deaf girl and apparently it’s really good.”   
  


He had the mouse hovered over a movie titled Hush. Mikey, like Gerard, preferred older horror movies, but it didn’t look too bad, and it wasn’t like their friends wouldn’t end up talking through most of it anyway. The rest of the group agreed, and so Pete put it on before running upstairs to grab his laptop and start passing it around so everyone could get in their pizza toppings.    


  
About thirty minutes later, the pizza arrived, and someone suggested blankets, so Pete recruited Mikey and the two of them headed back upstairs to collect blankets. As soon as they were upstairs, though, Pete took Mikey’s hand and pulled them too a wall, kissing them like Mikey was their oxygen tank and he needed them to survive. Mikey kissed back without thinking, dropping their hands to Pete’s hips and holding him against the wall.    


  
They remembered where they were when Lindsey started screaming at the protagonist for doing something stupid, and pulled back from Pete immediately. “Pete, no. We can’t do this here. There are people down there, and any one of them could come up and catch us.”   
  


Pete frowned. “Why are you so intent on keeping this a secret? Like, I’d get it if you didn’t want to be open around school, because duh, straight people, but these are our friends. I highly doubt they’d give a shit.”   


  
“Are you kidding me?” Mikey face-palmed. It was nearly 2017, and they were face-palming. “You know why we can’t be open about this.”   


  
“No I don’t, Mikey,” Pete said. He wrapped his fingers around Mikey’s wrists, gently, and pulled Mikey’s hands away from their face so that Mikey had no other option than to look at the idiot they were slowly falling in love with, despite their best attempts not to. He looked Mikey right in the eyes. “I’m in love with you, okay? And I’m tired of having to sneak off--”   


  
Pete was still talking, but Mikey had stopped being able to hear. Everything was a faint buzz in their ears, and their thoughts were a never-ending loop of get out get out get out. They jerked away from Pete, and they might have said something, they might not have, but they ended up downstairs, and in front of Gee, and then they were in Gee’s car, but no one else other than Gee was in the car.    


  
And then they were in their room in the basement, and Gee was telling them that she was going back to Pete’s house, but she’d be back in a bit and Lena was upstairs if Mikey needed anything. Mikey nodded along, but they weren’t sure how much time had passed or if they were still conscious. All they could hear was Pete saying I’m in love with you.    
  


Like that changed anything.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos/use the comments section to vent!


	43. Ryan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The elusive Ryan Ross finally appears! 
> 
> Also, I've got the Ryan Ross story already typed up, and finished and all that, but I don't know when I'll post it. Probably in a few weeks. I want to get a bit further into the second semester of nohic before I reveal Ryan.

Mikey hadn’t talked to Pete in about a week. It was currently Christmas Eve, and Mikey and Gee were being forced (by their parents) to sing in one of the Christmas Eve masses with the youth choir. Gee and Ray were actually in youth choir, because they were both fucking nerds (according to Mikey), and Mikey was there because their sister was and the youth director liked them for some reason.    


  
They weren’t really feeling the Christmas spirit. Gee wasn’t either, which was unfortunate, because Gee usually loved Christmas.    


  
Mikey knew that Gee was having an especially hard time because they’d seen her throwing up in the bathroom a few days ago, right after dinner. Mikey hadn’t brought it up, because they didn’t know how to deal with an eating disorder, and they weren’t anywhere near being mentally stable. So they let it go, and wallowed in their own issues.    


  
Pete, apparently, was in love with them. Mikey, naturally, had panicked and ran off when they found out, because Pete and Patrick were dating, and Mikey felt bad enough sleeping with Pete when he had a boyfriend. They didn’t want to break up Pete and Patrick, so they had to leave. They had to get out of that, and just pretend that Pete wasn’t real and they’d never known him. Ever.    


  
As the service ended, Mikey followed Ray and Gee out of the sanctuary, and out to where everyone was gathering. Ray pulled out her phone--she had managed to sneak hers past the choir director--and her eyes lit up. “Oh, hey, apparently some of the squad are meeting at Waffle House at ten.”   


  
“We have a Waffle House?” Gee asked, at the same time that Mikey asked, “wait, who in our friend group?”   


  
“There’s one in Owensboro, which is like forty-five minutes away or something, and right now it’s just Brendon, Dallon, Spencer, a friend of Spencer’s, and Frank and Lindsey,” Ray said. “I’m pretty sure my parents would be okay with it, but I want to go home first and not be in a suit, you know?”   


  
“Yeah, I get that,” Gee said. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Mikey, you wanna go?”   


  
Mikey shrugged. If their options were Waffle House with friends or going home with their parents and (probably) no Gee, then they were definitely taking the Waffle House. They’d never been to one before, so at least it would be an adventure.    


  
Gee left Mikey alone with Ray for a moment to go find her parents. As soon as she was gone, though, Ray leaned over and whispered, “is everything okay with Gee? She seems kind of off?”   


  
“I think it’s just seasonal depression,” Mikey said. They were lying; they knew that there was something up with Gee, but it wasn’t their place to tell people that their sister had an eating disorder and had apparently relapsed at some point during break. They trusted Ray, of course, but they weren’t the one throwing up in the toilet. They were the one having a lengthy mental breakdown because the person they’d been screwing was in love with them and still had a boyfriend.    
  


The Way family, it turned out, was just a big mess.    


  
Gee ad Mikey were allowed to go hang out with their friends, but like Ray, they had to go home and change first. Their parents didn’t want them getting their Christmas mass clothes dirty, because they were actually nice clothes, and apparently warranted dry cleaning.    


  
Mikey had never dry-cleaned anything in their life, and apparently, neither had Gee, because she was just as surprised as they were.    
  


Mikey and Gee ended up just laying around in their room for the twenty or so minutes they had before they needed to leave to go pick up Ray. Ray was sitting on her front steps when Gee pulled up, because Ray actually did shit on time, and had prepared a playlist for the 45 minute drive.    


  
It wasn’t that bad.    


  
Everyone else was already there when Mikey, Gee, and Ray arrived, and they were seated in two booths near the door. Lindsey turned around in their seat and threw up a peace sign at Gee. Gee grinned and rushed over to her girlfriend, sliding in next to her and squishing Frank against the window. Ray and Mikey, because they were reasonable people, slid in on the other side of the booth, so that their backs were to Brendon, Dallon, Spencer, and Spencer’s friend.    
  


They all ordered, because none of their other friends were going to show up, and everything seemed fine. Mikey was getting anxiety for some reason, though, and they were very confused. They slid out of their booth and moved over to the other booth, scooting in beside Spencer and across from Dallon and Brendon.    
  


“Hey Mikey,” Spencer said. He motioned at the guy on his other side, who was quiet and looked vaguely uncomfortable. “This is Ryan, by the way.”   


  
“You’ve probably heard of me,” Ryan said, but he didn’t say it like it was some kind of ego boost that Mikey knew of him. More like Ryan’s name was Voldemort, and anyone who knew about him was cursed. Or something like that.    


  
“I have,” Mikey said, slowly. They did know of Ryan, but most of what they knew wasn’t good, and they didn’t want to bring it up in front of him. “Not a lot, though.”   
  


“I told you about how he and Pete slept together, though, right?” Brendon said, eyes on her coffee mug instead of on anyone at the table. It was an obvious sign that she was trying to act unaffected and innocent, even though she knew exactly what she was doing. “Not that I was surprised, afterwards. Pete’s kind of a sleazebag. He’ll sleep with anyone who’s desperate or upset, and, well, Ryan’s kind of shit at expressing his feelings in a healthy way.”   
  


Mikey couldn’t tell if Brendon was intending to shade Pete or Ryan, but she was successful with both of them. Mikey was proud of her, in theory, but Ryan had shrunk down in his seat, Spencer looked torn, and Dallon was staring at the ceiling like they wished they were at the other booth and not dealing with this situation.   
  


Spencer’s gaze shot over to Ryan for a second before he said, “there was a lot going on then, and I don’t think anyone handle it well. But, um, I’ve made my peace with it. I guess.”   


  
“I think we can all agree that Pete was kind of the asshole in all of this, though, right?” Ryan said, tentatively. He was watching Brendon carefully, and Mikey didn’t miss how she scooted up closer to Dallon. Ryan dropped his gaze to the table. “I’m not… I’m not trying to defend what I did, but, um, Pete shouldn’t have slept with me then, either. He knew I was dating you. We both should have said no.”   


  
“It happened over a year ago, Ryan,” Brendon snapped. She looped her arm around Dallon’s waist. Dallon was looking at Spencer, and they were both silently screaming at each other. “You should probably move on.”   
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	44. goodbye 2016 eat me ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, in the middle of a week-long mental breakdown: I should update nohic. 
> 
> Here it is. Please enjoy, also next Friday I'm skipping class to take a bus to Atlanta and see Green Day/Against Me! so that's super exciting. (No seriously, I've loved both of those bands since I was 13... and I'm 20 now... that's Commitment)

- **zoid** changed the name of the group to  **goodbye 2016 eat me ass** -   
  
****

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : did u mean to call it “eat me ass”   
****

**zoid** : oh fuck   


  
- **zoid** changed the name of the group to  **goodbye 2016 eat MY ass** -   


  
**frnkiero_andthe_patience** : your ass… specifically   
****

**zoid** : yes   
****

**zoid** : wait aren’t you playing tonight??   
****

**frnkiero_andthe_patience** : yeah laura and he other guys managed to get some music people to help set up so i’m currently chilling on an amp drinking a capri sun   
****

**brebdo** : drink one for me i’m with my parents and #dying   
****

**frnkiero_andthe_patience** : i would but i’m afraid i’ll have to piss in the middle of the set   
****

**frnkiero_andthe_patience** : also is anyone coming bc that’s be super rad   
****

**mieky** : me and g are here with ray   
****

**mieky** : we told our parents that we’d be staying the night at ray’s house so they actually let us out on new years   
****

**brebdo** : can i tell my parents that and join you three   
****

**brebdo** : because they’re talking about gay people and i’m hiding in the bathroom   
****

**mieky** : hold on let me ask   
  


Mikey pulled on the sleeve of Ray’s jacket. The three of them were hanging out at the bar, even though they weren’t allowed to drink, and waiting for the show to start. They’d been to enough Against Me! shows that they knew how to get up to the barrier now, and they didn't have to stand out in the crowd for thirty minutes before the show started just to get a good view.    


  
“What’s up, Mikeyway?” Ray asked.    


  
“How many people can your mom’s car fit?” Mikey asked. “Because Brendon’s having parent issues and wanted to see if she could come.”   


  
“My mom can take her home from Laura’s friend’s house,” Ray said. “I’ll just let her know.”   
  
****

**mieky** : ray says sure   
****

**mieky** : also it’s 10$ at the door and they mark you if you’re underage   
****

**dadtree** : Bren, baby, I love you but don’t try to get illegal alcohol   
****

**mieky** : oh don’t worry about that laura’s got a friend who’s hosting the after party and he’s got alcohol   
****

**dadtree** : Mikey, somehow that doesn’t make me feel better.   
****

**brebdo** : wow ok   
****

**brebdo** : i see how it is   
****

**dadtree** : I just don’t want you to get trashed and embarrass yourself or anything.    
****

**brebdo** : i know dally i’m joking <3   
****

**zoid** : you two are gross   
****

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : yeah guys stop being so GAY   
****

**brebdo** : no   
****

**dadtree** : No.   
****

**zoid** : i feel like spencer is supposed to appear out of nowhere to also yell NO at frank   
****

**brebdo** : see spencer actually gets along with his parents so he’s not constantly checking his phone today   
****

**zoid** : okay true my mom made me skip the against me show because of “family bonding time” which is bullshit because no one here actually wants to bond with me lmao   
****

**zoid** : i did find out that my cousin gave someone a blowjob at jesus camp   
****

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wild   
****

**zoid** : also that this one girl who goes to gee and mikey’s church is the same girl at her high school who slept with the entire football team   
****

**brebdo** : i know that was intended as a slut shame but honestly i’m just impressed by this girl   
****

**brebdo** : who is she i need to give her a high five   
****

**mieky** : wait are you talking about maddy??????   
****

**zoid** : ya   
****

**mieky** : holy Fuck   
****

**zoid** : ya   
  


“Dude, Mikey get off your phone,” Ray said, elbowing them in the side. “We need to get up near the front; the first band’s about to come on.”   
  


“Isn’t Brendon coming?” Gee asked.    
  


“Oh, shit, she is,” Ray said. She looked around, but there wasn’t a good place to wait around for Brendon without being super far away from the band, or still at the bar. They’d all learned from Frank’s concert stories that hanging out at the bar once the show started was always a bad idea. It was all the sweaty, beer-spilling grossness of being up near the front, just without the fun of being tossed around and screaming lyrics back at the band.    
  


“I can message her and tell her to let us know when she gets here?” Mikey offered, waving their phone in the air. Gee and Ray nodded. Mikey took Gee’s hand, letting her lead them through the gathering crowd while they texted Brendon to let her know what was happening.   
  


-private message to  **brebdo** -   
  
****

**mieky** : hey the show’s about to start were in the crowd text when u get here and well find u   
****

**brebdo** : okay   
****

**brebdo** : me and dal are trying to convince spencer to sneak out… spence it’s not like your parents will be mad come on……   
****

**mieky** : u kno hes not in here   
****

**brebdo** : i kno   
****

**brebdo** : just venting for the hell of it   
****

**brebdo** : we’ll be there soon dw   
  


Mikey pocketed their phone and started paying attention to the band that was setting up. They didn’t know who the opening band was. All they knew was that there were going to be three bands and that Against Me! was going to be the third. The second one, apparently, had a cool drummer and was from Ohio. Mikey just hoped the other bands would be interesting.    
  


Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer arrived during the middle of the opening band, which was good, but someone Mikey had never heard of before. They were from Owensboro, the place where Mikey and their friends had gotten Waffle house on Christmas Eve. As they closed their final song of the set, the audience cheered. Which was nice. It was always really awkward whenever a smaller band got no response. Mikey’s short-lived experience as a band member had been pretty awkward, but at least people had cheered for them. A little reluctantly, but it had happened. 

 

“Alright, this next band has come all the way down here from Columbus, Ohio, so you all better give them one hell of a welcome!” The frontman yelled into the microphone. “Give it up for Vesperteen!”

 

There were more cheers this time. The two girls beside Mikey were especially loud, and they figured that the two of them were fans of the Vesperteen band. The cheering quieted down as the first band left the stage and the second band came on. The frontman had this white drum kit that he set up around a microphone, and the bass drum had a flourescent light inside of it, lighting up a V. It was pretty cool. 

 

“Okay, that is by far the coolest drum kit I’ve seen in my life,” Spencer said from behind Mikey. Mikey nodded, even though they weren’t sure if Spencer’s comment was meant for them. 

 

Brendon and Dallon said something that was drowned out by the girls beside Mikey cheering again as the Vesperteen drummer guy waved at them. Mikey wondered how they knew him, or if they were just fans who got lucky and had been noticed by their fave. 

 

The band was just as cool as the drum kit, even though Mikey didn’t know any of the songs. Vesperteen wasn’t the kind of music that they usually listened to--they liked harder, faster, angrier stuff--but they were still good. The singer/drummer guy had a great voice, and Mikey wondered how well known they were outside of this venue, because quite a few people cheered and yelled at the end of the set. 

 

After that, Against Me! came on, and Mikey found themselves singing along to some of the songs. Laura was a great front woman, and Frank was losing his shit on guitar. He was running around, jumping on amps and people, and at one point he just fell over onto his back and started playing guitar with his hips thrust up into the air. 

 

The set ended, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Mikey, Gerard, and their friends were all jumping and calling out for Frank. Frank flipped his hair out of his face and tossed one of his picks at Gee. 

 

She probably would have caught it, except Gee had shitty coordination and she wasn’t expecting Frank to throw anything at her. Instead, the pick bounced off of her hand and back into the crowd. Frank frowned, and mouthed,  _ later _ , at him. Mikey made a face. They hoped that Frank wasn’t going to fry anything with Gee, because she was still dating Lindsey and really, Mikey knew now that it wasn’t worth it. 

 

After Against Me! played an encore, because people were asking, Mikey and their friends headed towards the side of the stage to catch up with Frank and Laura after they’d gotten all of the band’s gear packed up. 

 

Frank came out first. He had changed into a sweater and two jackets, with a baseball cap pulled down over his damp, curling bangs. He was vibrating with energy and leapt onto Ray’s back. “How was tha for a show, mother fuckers?!”

 

“Dude, you were amazing!” Ray said, spinning herself and Frank around a little. “You were all amazing.”

 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m gonna look up that Vesperteen band when I get home,” Spencer said. “Their drummer was super cool.”

 

“Aw, Spencer’s got a crush,” Dallon said, nudging Spencer with his elbow. 

 

Spencer blushed and nudged Dallon back. “Let me live, you ass.”

 

“You need to calm down with the guy crushes, babe, or you won’t be able to date me and Dallon anymore,” Brendon said. Their tones were all so light an teasing; Mikey was glass that the three of them had gotten to that point where they could just laugh at each other without having to be insecure or jealous or anything. 

 

Spencer kissed Brendon’s and Dallon’s cheeks in turn. “I would never.”

 

“Stop being gross,” Frank said, even though he was probably the (physically) grossest of them all. He tightened his hold on Ray, who bounced him up so he wouldn’t slide off of her back. “Laura’s friend found out about a New Year’s party that sounds like it’d be fun. Any of you guys wanna come?”

 

“Uh, sure, probably,” Gee said. That seemed to be general consensus of the group, and so those who needed to lie to their parents about what they were doing did so, and then Dallon got the address from Frank and led everyone (except Frank, who was riding with Laura, the rest of the band, and the friend who had heard about the party) to where they’d parked their car. 

 

“Oh, shit, we’re gonna have to fit everyone into that,” Ray said quietly. The car was slightly smaller than Gee’s, but this time they only had six people, so hopefully no one would be too cramped. 

 

“I call shotgun,” Spencer said, rushing past his datemates to lean against the passenger seat door defensively. 

 

Brendon grinned. “I call shotgun’s lap!”

 

“Well, that makes things easier for us,” Ray said, shrugging. She, Gee, and Mikey climbed into the back seats. Because Mikey was the smallest, they had to have the middle seat, but it wasn’t that bad. Dallon had better music taste than Pete--Mikey mentally slapped themselves for thinking about Pete--even though their taste wasn’t anywhere near Mikey’s. It was still good music. 

 

Dallon had to park about a block away from where the address was because there were already people crowding the street and they couldn’t get any closer. Everyone pulled on their hats, gloves, and coats that they’d taken off for the show and piled out of the car. 

 

The house was playing alt-j, which wasn’t what Mikey usually associate with parties, but it was almost better because it was fake pretentious. They grinned at their friends, actually feeling good for once. “Well, guys, happy New Year’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pre-emptive apology for the next few chapters. I'd forgotten that chapter 45 ends on a banger. If you follow me on tumblr (@brallencer) you've probably already heard about the Hell that is chapter 46.
> 
> Anyway, please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! I might update on Friday this week since I'll be on a bus (with wifi) for four hours!


	45. New Year's (pt. 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I'd post this on Friday before or after my Green Day concert, but that obviously didn't happen. The bus was super crowded, and I didn't want to just pull out my laptop and start tapping away while there was a lady beside me trying to sleep. The Green Day/Against Me! concert was SUPER AWESOME (I cried twice and Billie Joe laid on the floor while singing various covers for some reason) but I didn't get back home until like 1 in the morning, and by then I was exhausted.
> 
> But anyway, without further ado...

The party shifted from weird pretentious indie vibe to generic party but with more punk music about an hour after New Year’s actually happened. Mikey had lost track of Gee and Frank at some point in the night, and they were switching between being worried and not caring all that much about what might happen. 

 

“You know, this is weirdly fun,” Ray said. She had a tiny party crown pinned to her hair, and there was a lot of glitter. Everywhere. Someone had set off a string of pinatas earlier in the night, and everything was covered in a shimmery purple glow. It was nice. 

 

“Yeah,” Brendon said. She was stretched out over Spencer and Dallon, with Spencer running his hand through her hair lazily. She reached up and took Dallon’s hand in hers. “Which one of Laura’s friends came up with this? I need to thank them. Everyone’s like, nicely buzzed and the music is shitty but at least I can still hear you guys, you know? It’s not like a high school party.”

 

“I think that’s because most of the people here are stoned as fuck,” Mikey said, because on top of the glittery purple, there was also a bit of a haze throughout the entire house. It wasn’t bad. It just added to the atmosphere. Either that, or Mikey was getting some of the smoke in their head and they were a little stoned too. “It’s like, a pretentious college party.”

 

“Still better than the original,” Brendon shrugged. She sat up, quickly, and made a face from being disoriented for a moment. “Okay, that was weird. You guys wanna go put on something faster so we can dance? Because sitting around and chilling is fun and all, but I’m bored now.”

 

“You have literally no attention span,” Dallon said. They looked over at Mikey. “You wanna come with?”

 

“Sure,” Mikey said, even though they had no idea why Dallon wanted to go over with them specifically. Dallon had two people they were dating who would be willing to go. Maybe Dallon had something to tell them. 

 

Sure enough, as soon as they were out of hearing range--the music was pretty loud--Dallon looked down at Mikey and asked, “so, did something happen with you and Pete?”

 

“Kind of,” they replied. “I don’t really want to talk about it, though.”

 

“Huh,” Dallon said. They stared thoughtfully at the guy who was huddled behind an Apple laptop with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Well, Brendon’s been ranting about Pete being a fucker for a while, and this time I know it has nothing to do with Ryan Ross, so I figured it might have something to do with you. You guys were pretty close, there for a while.”

 

“Yeah, it didn’t work out,” Mikey said, because they really didn’t want to talk about Pete. Ever. Pete was better left in the past. Or in his rich parents’ house up in New York. He could stay there, with Patrick, and never come back for all Mikey cared. They wanted Andy and Joe back, though, because they were both pretty okay. 

 

“Sorry,” Dallon said, and then approached the DJ guy. Mikey assumed he was the DJ. “Hey, can you play something we can dance to?”

 

“I’ve got some Killers here if that’ll work?” The guy asked. It didn’t really sound like a question, the way he phrased it. Dallon turned to Mikey, but it wasn’t like Mikey wanted to dance, so they just shrugged. Dallon turned back around to the DJ and nodded. The Killers weren’t a bad band, but Mikey had never tried to dance to them. 

 

Dallon and Mikey returned to their friends. A few moments later, the song ended, and  _ Somebody Told Me _ by the Killers came on over the speakers. Dallon pulled Spencer and Brendon away from Mikey and Ray to dance with their partners. Brendon threw her hands in the air and started singing along loudly to the song, not caring how she sounded. 

 

Brendon had a great voice, though, so she’d probably never felt self-conscious about her own voice. 

 

Ray turned to Mikey. “You wanna join them?”

 

“Sure,” Mikey said. They’d had a few beers. They weren’t really drunk, just pleasantly buzzed, and there’d been cheap champagne for ringing in the new year. It was nice. Ray was fun to dance with, even though they were just jumping around as friends. Some other college kids joined in, including Laura and her friend who had invited everyone to the party. Apparently his name was Jon and he was involved with pretty much everything that happened on the campus. He worked for the school newspaper, or something. Mikey hadn’t been paying a lot of attention. 

 

The Killers faded into that  _ Too Close _ song, which Brendon also knew, and so everyone just kept dancing around and singing along to it. It seemed like everything was going to go fine. 

 

And then Frank appeared. He rushed up to Mikey out of nowhere, his eyes wide with concern, and pulled Mikey away from their friends. Mikey shrugged Frank’s hand off of their shoulder. “What’s going on?”

 

“Gee’s really sick,” Frank said frantically. He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even further. “She and I… we were… um. We were just hanging out away from everyone else, and I knew she was drunk but I didn’t realise  _ how _ drunk she was, and she started throwing up and… come with me.”

 

Frank grabbed Mikey by their arm and pulled them to the back of the house, where the door to the bathroom was slightly ajar. On the other side, Mikey could hear the faint sounds of someone getting sick. When Frank opened the door and ushered Mikey inside, they saw Gee on the other side, hunched over the toilet and looking close to death. Her skin was paler than normal, and her hair was slicked across her face with sweat and (Mikey hoped not) vomit. 

 

Mikey made a face at the sight of their sister. They couldn’t help it. She was pretty gross. Mikey reached back to make sure that the door was closed, and then approached Gee. “How much did you have to drink, dude?”

 

Gee didn’t answer. She just threw up a little more into the toilet. It smelled really bad. Mikey cringed and turned to Frank. “Do you know?”

 

Frank shook his head. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t paying attention.”

 

“Shit,” Mikey muttered. They turned back to their sister. Gee’s eyelids fluttered shut, and she slid away from the toilet bowl and onto the floor, her mouth slightly open. Mikey knelt down and turned Gee onto her side, so that she wouldn’t choke on her own vomit. Mikey sighed. “We should leave. Go find Dallon and Ray and the others, and tell them that Gee’s sick and we need to go home. I’ll stay here with her.”

 

“Wait, where are you two going to go?” Frank asked. “It’s not like you can go home when Gee is obviously drunk… and I know Ray’s parents are chill but I don’t think they’d just let your unconscious sister stay passed out on their couch.”

 

“I don’t know,” Mikey said. They felt like crying a little, and they could feel their body shaking, but they had to keep it together for Gee’s sake. They took a deep breath. “Just… get everyone together. Please.”

 

“Okay,” Frank nodded. Mikey heard the door close, and then they were alone with Gee. They stood up and started cleaning Gee up, because she really did look gross, and Mikey didn’t want their other friends see her like this. 

 

There was a knock on the door, and Mikey shouted, “come in,” before the door opened to reveal Spencer and Ray. Ray smiled softly at Mikey. “Hey. Spencer and I are going to help carry her to the car. The other three are already out there, if you want to join them.”

 

“Thanks Ray,” Mikey said. 

 

They followed Ray and Spencer out to Dallon’s car. They still didn’t know where they would be going, because Frank was right and they couldn’t go to Ray’s house. Ray’s parents would call Mikey’s parents, concerned about Gee, and then everyone would get in trouble. It wouldn’t end well. 

 

Dallon turned around in the front seat to look back at Mikey. “Where are we going?”

 

“I don’t know,” Mikey repeated. 

 

“We can go to my house,” Spencer offered. When everyone looked at him he shrugged. “What? I’m already in deep shit for sneaking out, and it’s not like my mom is going to turn us away when Gee is obviously sick. I’ll probably just get grounded for like a month or something. It’s worth it.”

 

“Thanks, Spencer,” Mikey said. 

 

Dallon drove them all to Spencer’s house. As Spencer predicted, his mom was pissed off at him because he’d snuck out without her permission, but she quickly calmed down when she saw that Gee was halfway conscious in the backseat. 

 

Gee tilted forward, away from the interior of the car. 

 

“Oh no,” Dallon said quietly. Gee puked up stomach bile on the Smith’s driveway. Spencer’s mom quickly came over to Gee and started moming her, talking quietly and asking her questions. She wasn’t judgemental at all that Gee was blackout drunk, or that Dallon was the only one who didn’t smell like champagne. She just ushered everyone inside, and told Spencer to pull out the guest bedroom sheets for everyone. 

 

“Where’s Gee going to sleep?” Mikey asked, worried. 

 

“We’re going to be in the living room,” Ms. Smith said. She’d gotten Gee to stand up, although Gee was shaking and leaning heavily against her. “Don’t worry too much, okay? I’m a registered nurse; I can take care of Gee.”

 

“Okay,” Mikey said. They were shivering in the cold. In the panic of leaving, they’d forgotten their coat at the house. Hopefully Frank or Laura could get it for them so that their mom didn’t get mad that they’d lost their jacket. 

 

It took about an hour to get everything set up in the guest bedroom. Spencer pulled out an air mattress as well, since there were five people and the bed wasn’t that big. Brendon and Dallon took the air mattress, and Mikey, Ray, and Frank took the bed. Mikey was in the middle, between Ray and Frank. They were tired, exhausted from all that had happened that night, but they couldn’t get to sleep. They held their phone up to their face and turned down the brightness. 

 

-private message to  **trutransrebel** -

 

**mieky** : hey did i leave my jacket there

**trutransrebel** : yeah, i grabbed yours and also brendon’s tho so don’t worry about it

**trutransrebel** : is gee doing okay?

**mieky** : shes with spencer’s mom so hopefully

**mieky** : she’s conscious again which is good

**trutransrebel** : you probably don’t want to hear this right now but she should be more careful

**trutransrebel** : i don’t want gee getting seriously hurt or something; frank really likes her and it would suck for everyone if gee got hurt

**mieky** : i know, i’ll tell her tomorrow

**trutransrebel** : sorry new years didn’t turn out how it should have

**mieky** : it wasn’t your fault

 

Mikey glanced over at Frank, who was snoring slightly. He was asleep. Mikey took a deep breath. 

 

**mieky** : when u say that frank really likes gee do u mean in like a crush way or friendly

**trutransrebel** : he’s got a huge crush on her

**trutransrebel** : kudos to him though for not being a dick to gee’s gf tho

**mieky** : it’s kind of hard to be a dick to lindsey, they’re awesome

**trutransrebel** : i don’t know them that well but they did seem pretty cool

**trutransrebel** : they’re a senior right? do you know where they’re going next year?

**mieky** : no idea; i haven’t asked

 

-private message from  **brebdo** -

 

**brebdo** : go the fuck to sleep

**mieky** : after you

**brebdo** : dal and i are waiting for everyone to go to sleep so we can go to spencer u fucker

**mieky** : i’m not stopping you

**brebdo** : ok tru

**brebdo** : are frank and ray asleep

**mieky** : yeah

**brebdo** : ok sweet

 

Mikey heard Brendon whisper, “it’s fine, they’re not paying attention,” to Dallon, and then heard the two of them get up and quietly leave the room. They sighed and put their phone down, turning away from Frank and closing their eyes. Mikey didn’t think they were going to be able to sleep, but they wanted to try. 

 

A few minutes later, Frank’s arm brushed against their side. Mikey pretended that they hadn’t felt anything. Frank whispered, “Ray, are you up?”

 

“I am now,” she mumbled back. Mikey continued to pretend to be asleep. “What’s up?”

 

“Can I confess something to you?” Frank asked. “It’s about Gee, and I don’t want anyone else to know because I feel bad about it, but I can’t… I can’t just keep it a secret, you know?”

 

“You can tell me anything,” Ray said. Mikey heard her shifting around in the bed, probably so that she was facing Frank and could see him in the dark. “I won’t tell anyone, okay? Not unless it would, like, seriously endanger someone if they didn’t know. Like if Gee was planning to hurt someone kind of thing.”

 

“It’s not that,” Frank said. Mikey heard him take a deep, shuddering breath. “Gee and I… before she got really sick… we were making out in the bathroom, and I think if things hadn’t gone bad we might have had some kind of sex.”

 

Mikey squeezed their eyes shut. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t real. They carefully moved their arm so they could pinch themself. It hurt, which meant this wasn’t all some weird dream. Frank really was being an idiot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...welcome to hell.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos/a comment yelling at me, because I'm pretty sure that's all I'll be getting for a while!


	46. The One I've Been Yelling About On Tumblr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've been warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, with darude sandstorm playing in the background: the best time to upload a Drama Inducing chapter is right before I get on a bus, obviously.

**fuckchristmas** : quick update from new york: pete has misplaced all but one of his pants and he’s starting to smell

**hatrick** : guys it’s really bad come save us

**fuckchristmas** : also we lost andy but he’s probably in the attic

**p_wheezie** : andy’s a smart kid he knows what he’s doing

**p_wheezie** : so what’s up with you fuckos

**zoid** : i had a very boring new years

**vampiregee** : i did not, i got really drunk and scared everyone because i passed out or something… i’m pretty sure it wasn’t as bad as they made it out to be tho

**momfriend** : it was pretty bad

**dadtree** : Spencer’s grounded until February. Apparently he’s only allowed to use his phone once a day and he has to be in front of his parents when he does it.

**zoid** : sounds like hell

**brebdo** : dude that’s like the /most lenient/ grounding i’ve heard about

**brebdo** : he’s not even banned from rehearsals??? tbh if i’d snuck out i’d be banned from literally everything

**dadtree** : Same, but Spencer’s parents are weirdly forgiving. I think they were just mad that he didn’t tell them he was leaving. 

**brebdo** : that and he’s supposed to be playing host *rolls eyes*

**p_wheezie** : are you still salty about ryan? it’s been over a year… and you’ve got two new datemates

**brebdo** : well considering you’re the fuckboy who slept with them i think i’m allowed to be salty

**zoid** : o shit Roasted

**p_wheezie** : you can’t call me a fuckboy when you were the one who tried to sleep with anyone who would talk to you after you realised ryan cheated

**fuckchristmas** : um.

**fuckchristmas** : i feel like this is a bad idea?

**p_wheezie** : and i think we all know that dallon only slept with you because they’d been crushing on you ever since you started dressing like a slut

**momfriend** : NO SLUT SHAMING

**hurleyxvx** : seriously pete calm down

**p_wheezie** : and you and spencer never fucked because he knew better than to fuck up his friendship with the person he’d known since childhood over a desperate girl like you

**brebdo** : whatever, at least i can get people to like me without being a creep

**p_wheezie** : honestly the only reason ur dating either of them is because you couldn’t keep your mouth closed for two seconds at homecoming that they took pity on you

**brebdo** : ok so i’m a slut? so what? at least i don’t STALK my crush on the internet for MONTHS and make up a cool persona to seduce them only to never admit it in real life

**dadtree** : Oh my God. Brendon, what are you doing?

**brebdo** : the obvious

**brebdo** : @mieky

**p_wheezie** : BRENDON WHAT THE HELL

**p_wheezie** : YOU CANT DO THAT

**brebdo** : i can and i am

**brebdo** : @mieky

**brebdo** : mikey whenever you check this chat: pete’s been your twitter crush this whole time, he’s known it was u since the summer when he saw you and asked around until he figured a way into your life

**brebdo** : sorry i didn’t tell you earlier, i thought pete was a better person and would have the balls to tell you himself but oh well

**vampiregee** : wait r u serious about this

**vampiregee** : pete’s mikey’s internet crush

**brebdo** : dead serious

**vampiregee** : pete what the hell

 

- **p_wheezie** has left the chat-

 

**fuckchristmas** : you know when i started the conversation i was not expecting any of this

**fuckchristmas** : but @ brendon you’re not a slut and what you have with spencer and dallon is fantastic and i think we’re all a little jealous tbh

**brebdo** : thanks joe

**brebdo** : doesn’t make me feel much better though but thanks

**dadtree** : Do you want me to come over? Or I can pick you up and we can hang out at my house?

**brebdo** : i’m an ugly sobbing mess right now, so idk if you want to see me

**dadtree** : I always want to see you.

**brebdo** : okay, let me ask my parents first though i don’t also want to be grounded

**vampiregee** : should i tell mikey? they’ve been avoiding their phone for a while? i feel like this is important?

**momfriend** : i mean they’ll find out eventually

**momfriend** : that tends to happen with secrets… they become known and all that philosophical stuff

**zoid** : wow deep

**momfriend** : i try

**momfriend** : but gee it’s up to you, mikey’s going to see it anyway

**zoid** : yeah you might as well tell them so they’re not blind-sighted by it or anything when they do see it

**vampiregee** : alright i will

**vampiregee** : this is going to make things interesting

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome.. to the Hell Zone. Please leave a comment/kudos as your way of yelling at me. My inbox is also open @brallencer (tumblr) if you want to yell there. But I will be on a bus for most of today so I might not respond instantly. :)


	47. the Yikes Brigade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In an unfortunate turn of events, my laptop charger might not be working anymore. Which is really bad because I kind of... need my laptop? For school and then also for writing purposes? 
> 
> I currently have 43% left and it says I have 2 hours left. We'll see how this goes.

- **brebdo** changed the name of the group to  **the Yikes Brigade** -

 

**brebdo** : school starts back tomorrow also tomorrow the cast list comes out 

**brebdo** : i am not prepared for anything

**vampiregee** : not to add to the yikes brigade but apparently mikey muted all of kik and buried it in a folder so they aren’t seeing any of this

**brebdo** : oh shit

**brebdo** : wait do they know about pete is that why

**vampiregee** : no when i asked all they said was that they needed a break from all of the drama

**dadtree** : Well we definitely didn’t help with that. 

**brebdo** : tru

**momfriend** : but the only thing “Dramatic” that happened on new years was with you gee

**dadtree** : Maybe they know something else that they don’t want to tell us?

**vampiregee** : mikey doesn’t hide things from me tho

**brebdo** : r u sure

**brebdo** : i don’t mean that in a shady way i just mean that they could be hiding something from you and you just haven’t realised it bc you trust them too much

**brebdo** : idk i’m not making sense

**vampiregee** : its fine

**vampiregee** : i just cant see mikey hiding anything from me you know

**vampiregee** : we’ve got a weird level of trust

**vampiregee** : sibling bonding!! whoo hoo

 

**brebdo** : guys i’m still super nervous about tomorrow and the cast listing

**dadtree** : Don’t worry about it, babe. You’re going to get a part, and you’re going to be amazing because you always are.

**brebdo** : aw thanks <3

**zoid** : guys i have one semester left of high school what the hell

**hatrick** : are you going to do senior skip day

**zoid** : idk but probably not 

**zoid** : all of my friends are younger than me so i don’t know what i would do if i skipped

**momfriend** : i’d take a nap tbh

**momfriend** : sendond semester is always harder than the first

**hatrick** : i know right??? like who designed this

**dadtree** : It was me. I wanted everyone to suffer. 

**zoid** : dallon you fucker

**brebdo** : leave them alone they’re doing their best

**zoid** : BRENDON YOU ARE DATING SATAN

**brebdo** : should i change my name to satan’s gf and confuse spencer when he comes back to the chat

**dadtree** : I’m also changing my name then, just to confuse him.

**brebdo** : u fucker

**dadtree** : You love me.

**brebdo** : yeah tru

 

- **brebdo** changed their name to  **satan’s gf** -

 

- **dadtree** changed their name to  **satan’s side ho** -

 

**satan’s gf** : wait so am i the main ho

**zoid** : sure?

**hatrick** : i don’t see how spencer could ever be satan but sure

**hatrick** : ur the main ho brendon

**satan’s gf** : sweet

**satan’s gf** : dal that means you’re my bitch

**satan’s gf** : *whip crack*

**satan’s side ho** : No, Brendon.

**zoid** : why are you two like this

**satan’s side ho** : We’re just competitive.

 

**vampiregee** : wait is there going to be a gsa meeting tomorrow

**vampiregee** : since it’s monday

**momfriend** : idk

**momfriend** : does anyone else want to have the meeting? because i don’t have anything planned and i haven’t been able to contact mikey so…

**satan’s side ho** : Not to potentially ruin everything but would you guys be okay with changing the meeting day if it conflicts with drama rehearsals?

**momfriend** : i’d be cool with that

**momfriend** : like half of the gsa tried out for drama anyway

**momfriend** : it’s whatever

**satan’s side ho** : I’ll just tell my parents that it’s an extra drama rehearsal or something. Also I’ll make sure to tell Spencer so that he can come. 

**vampiregee** : the squad’s getting smaller since mikey’s on mute, pete’s gone, and spencer’s grounded

**hurleyxvx** : i’m still getting a fuckton of notifications so it hasn’t changed much

**vampiregee** : yeah but its still obvious that we’re missing people

**hurleyxvx** : yeah

**hurleyxvx** : i read back over what happened with brendon/pete and holy shit i didn’t realise they were that pissed off with each other

**satan’s side ho** : I didn’t even know that Bren and Pete /had/ beef with each other. 

**hurleyxvx** : tell your boyfriend that if he’s got beef that i’m a vegetarian and i ain’t fuckin scared of him

**zoid** : DOLLAR IN THE JAR

**zoid** : we haven’t had one of those in a while

**momfriend** : lynz did you appear just to demand payment

**zoid** : yeah i’m a cursed object

**zoid** : i only appear when u owe someone money

**vampiregee** : bad and sinful children get sent to the zoid void to atone for their sins

**momfriend** : dollar in the jar

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**satan’s side ho** : I don’t know enough memes for this.

**satan’s gf** : dal don’t lie you know a lot of memes

**satan’s gf** : actually no you only know dad jokes

**zoid** : same thing

**hurleyxvx** : ANYWAY

**hurleyxvx** : i just wanted to let you guys know that me, joe, and patrick talked to pete about it and they feel like shit about what they said to brendon

**hurleyxvx** : apparently they were having a really bad mania while we were in new york and i know that’s not an excuse for what happened but i just wanted to give some context

**vampiregee** : wait pete’s bipolar?

**hurleyxvx** : i thought you guys knew

**satan’s gf** : i didn’t know

**vampiregee** : me either

**hurleyxvx** : oh

**hurleyxvx** : well they’re bipolar and sometimes it gets really bad but yeah. 

**satan’s gf** : do you think we could start a brand new chat and not have mikey notice

**satan’s gf** : i feel bad for exposing pete like that now

**momfriend** : mikey needed to know

**momfriend** : it was shitty for pete to be keeping that a secret 

**satan’s gf** : ok tru but like… that’s not how they should have found out

**satan’s gf** : like shout out to me being the least classy person ever

**vampiregee** : they still haven’t looked at kik yet so it’s ok

**satan’s gf** : i’m feeling the Regret

**vampiregee** : BIG MOOD

**zoid** : wait what did you do that’s worth regretting

**vampiregee** : e x i s t

**zoid** : :/// i like that you exist fucker

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : listen you fucks i’m pretty sure everyone here regrets at least three (3) things in their lives

**satan’s gf** : Yikes Brigade? more like Regret Squad

**satan’s side ho** : Change the chat name

 

- **satan’s gf** changed the name of the group to  **REGRET SQUAD** -

 

**zoid** : why all caps

**satan’s gf** : because the regret is pretty intense in here

**vampiregee** : BIGMOOD

**momfriend** : ok so are we going to have a meeting tomorrow or not? because if we are i need to email mr armstrong so he knows

**satan’s side ho** : I’d be cool with it. Veronica wouldn’t schedule a rehearsal on the first day back without telling us.

**satan’s gf** : YES

**fuckchristmas** : i’ve missed you guys so yes

**fuckchristmas** : also patrick’s phone is dead but she said yes as well

**hurleyxvx** : i don’t have a reason not to

**zoid** : me either

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : my mom expects me to stay after lmao

**momfriend** : gee? what about you and mikey

**vampiregee** : we’ll probably be there

**momfriend** : sweet

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> (Also, I'm posting this in my lecture class and the hall is really fucking cold and I feel like my fingers are about to fall off send help)


	48. Spring Semester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello fuckos I am back. I'm also really tired, which might be the new medication I'm on or it might just be because I'm tired who knows. 
> 
> Anyway, here's a new chapter, and the start of the spring semester in the nohic universe. I have no idea what's coming. I really don't.

Mikey had muted Kik and buried it in the depths of their phone after they found out about Frank and Gee. It was just too weird, ad they didn’t think they could stay quiet about it if they were still there in that chat. Frank should have known better! Gee was drunk, and she had a girlfriend, and it was… 

 

It was exactly what Pete and Mikey’s thing had been. 

 

They weren’t sure how to deal with Frank, and since there wasn’t a roll call for homeroom, Mikey decided that they’d wait around somewhere else until they had to go upstairs to Mr. Armstrong’s class. They weren’t sure where they were going to go, though, because the cafeteria was loud and crowded, as was the library. 

 

They ended up on the performing arts hall, where they could hear the band warming up. There were a few kids scattered around the hallway, but they didn’t seem to notice Mikey. 

 

Mikey stopped at the drama room. There was a sheet of paper taped up on it, with  _ CAST LIST _ written across the top in a fancy font. Mikey narrowed their eyes and read down the list, curious as to what parts their friends had gotten. They also wanted to know what their part was going to be, but they knew it wouldn’t be anything big and so they weren’t too concerned. 

 

_ Reno Sweeney: Brendon Urie _

_ Hope Harcourt: Sarah Orzechowski _

_ Lord Evelyn Oakleigh: Dallon Weekes _

_ Billy Crocker: Spencer Smith _

_ Moonface Martin: Peter Wentz _

_ Evangeline Harcourt: Lindsey Ballato _

_ Elisha Whitney: Tyler Joseph _

_ Erma Latour: Mikey Way _

_ Ship’s Captain: Andrew Hurley _

 

Mikey stopped reading after that because they didn’t recognise anyone else’s names. They’d gotten a named part, which was wild. Mikey could feel their hands shaking a little, because they weren’t sure why they’d been chosen. They also hadn’t realised that Lindsey had tried out at all. Lindsey had never mentioned it. 

 

_ At least Brendon got a good part _ , Mikey thought. Brendon would make a good Reno, because she had the vocal range of a god and was dramatic enough to pull the part off without being seen as ridiculous. 

 

Mikey felt a hand on their shoulder, and they jumped before realising that it was only Lindsey. They grinned down at Mikey. “I figured you’d want some company onstage, so I tried out during my study period. Turns out Veronica also has a fifth period break.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikey said. “But I’ve got Spencer and Dallon and Brendon, so it’s not like I’d be alone.”

 

“I also wanted to see what all the fuss was about,” Lindsey said. “I’m a performer, Mikes. I like getting to show off and be ridiculous sometimes.”

 

“Wanna trade roles?”

 

“Nope,” Lindsey shook their head. “I’m going to be a stuffy old lady and you’re going to be a gangster’s girlfriend. But, hey, we’ll get to hang out more, which’ll be fun.”

 

“Did Gee put you up to this?” Mikey asked. It seemed like something Gee would do. She was acting weird around Mikey, like she knew everything about Pete. Mikey hoped she didn’t, because Pete was a mistake that Mikey didn’t want to make again. Either that, or she was worried that Mikey was avoiding everyone in their friend group because they’d turned off Kik notifications. 

 

Lindsey frowned. “No, I was just doing it for us. We’re still friends, right? Nothing weird going on that I should know about?”

 

“Um, no,” Mikey said. They were lying, but they didn’t want to talk about Pete or Frank and Gee. They just wanted all of the drama and bad decisions in their life to disappear for a little bit. 

 

Lindsey didn’t look convinced, but they couldn’t stick around and badger Mikey about it, because the late bell was going to ring in just a few minutes and Mikey and Lindsey both had to get to class. Mikey excused themself first, because their class was upstairs, unlike Lindsey, who was taking three art classes because they were a senior and they could. 

 

Mikey slid into Mr. Armstrong’s class right before the bell went off, and Mr. Armstrong congratulated them on their timing. Mikey ducked their head, hoping their hair would hide their embarrassment, and headed to their desk at the back of the classroom. Frank was there. He looked up at Mikey as Mikey passed him, and opened his mouth to say something but instead just started coughing and sneezing. 

 

Mikey paused, concern for their friend overwhelming their desire to stay distant. “Are you okay?”

 

“I think I’m coming down with something,” Frank coughed out. He waved Mikey away while covering a sneeze with his other hand. “It’s fine, this happens every winter.”

 

Mikey sat down behind Frank and tried not to be too concerned. Frank probably just had a cold. He’d be fine in a few days. 

 

They kept glancing over at Frank during first period, though. He looked tired, and sickly, and Mikey wondered why he’d even bothered to come to school that day if he was just going to feel like shit all day. Maybe Frank’s mom was a hardass about her son staying home sick. 

 

Nothing interesting happened in Mikey’s second period. They were bored without the group chat to keep them entertained, but the groupchat had Pete and Mikey wasn’t ready to deal with Pete yet. It had been over three weeks, and they still weren’t ready. They had a feeling that they might not ever be ready, which would fucking suck because then they could never return to their friends. 

 

**_mkwy @mikey_wavy_ **

_ current 2017 vibe: seven upside down question marks spaced out unevenly _

 

Mikey looked at their schedule on their phone. They didn’t have drama this semester, because all of the drama related stuff was going to happen after school so that the set people could have the drama room to work. It was weird. High school didn’t make sense. They had gym instead of drama, because everyone here had to take one semester of gym a year, except for their junior year where they had to take health. 

 

Mikey was not looking forward to gym class. According to Gee, it sucked. Of course, Gee was the least athletic person that Mikey knew. She probably hated any class that involved a lot of exercise, and was relishing the fact that she got to take health this year instead. 

 

Mikey was a little jealous. 

 

Everyone was ushered into the gym and told to sit on the bleachers until class started. There were three coaches standing out on the floor of the gym and watching everyone come in. Mikey knew they wouldn’t need gym clothes for the first day, because nothing ever happened on the first day, but it was still nice to see that all of the other people there were dressed in street clothes. 

 

They spotted Brendon and Spencer sitting away from the majority of the people there. Mikey headed over to the two of them. “Hey guys. I guess we’re together again.”

 

“Yeah,” Spencer said. “Welcome to hell. Also referred to as the gym.”

 

“Spencer’s salty because he wanted to do basketball pep band,” Brendon said. Mikey noticed that she wasn’t as dressed up as she usually was. High waisted jeans and a sweater were pretty gender neutral. Brendon was also wearing wedges, but those weren’t as obvious. She’d tucked her feet under Spencer’s legs. 

 

“I’m salty because gym class is just an excuse to make people feel bad about themselves,” Spencer said. “It doesn’t actually improve people’s health, and it’s bullshit that we’re all graded on the same fitness level.”

 

“I’m just not looking forward to the whole locker room thing,” Brendon said, making a face. 

 

Spencer pulled her in close and kissed the side of her head. “You’re not going to be alone. If anyone tries to hurt you, I’ll just fight them instead.”

 

“Aw, thanks babe,” Brendon said. 

 

Mikey hadn’t thought about it, but Brendon was right and the locker rooms were going to be hell. Mikey would have to use the girl’s locker room, because everyone thought they were a girl, and Brendon would have to use the guy’s locker room because everyone thought she was a guy. Cis people (Mr. Armstrong and Spencer excluded) were fucking annoying. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “I hate the cis.”

 

“Understandable,” Brendon said. 

 

“Spencer’s cool though, And Mr. Armstrong,” Mikey said. “And Lena, I guess. I hope she’s not shitty. She doesn’t seem shitty.”

 

“Who’s Lena?” Spencer asked. 

 

“My grandma,” Mikey said. Spencer nodded. Mikey liked Lena. She didn’t seem to care that Gee came home wearing makeup sometimes, or that Mikey didn’t like wearing dresses and would much rather be in a pair of baggy jeans. 

 

One of the coaches stepped forward and blew his whistle. Some of the gym quieted down, but not everyone, and so he blew it two more times until everyone shut up. Once he had everyone’s attention, he introduced himself and the other two coaches. Mikey’s instructor--according to their schedule--was the short blonde lady in a form-fitting purple running suit. Her name was French and hard to pronounce, but she announced to everyone that it was fine to call her Coach G. 

 

“Well that’s easy to remember,” Brendon said. She leaned back to address Mikey. “It’s pretty much the same as your sister’s name.”

 

“Is she your instructor too?” Mikey asked. Spencer and Brendon nodded. At least they were all going to suffer through gym together. 

 

“If you’re with Coach G, head to the other side of the gym and sit down on those bleachers,” the guy coach said again. “If you’re with Coach Harrington, head to the left side of these bleachers, and if you’re with me, head to the right. Split!”

 

“He’s got to be a football coach,” Brendon muttered as she, Spencer, and Mikey made their way down the bleachers and across to the other side. Mikey spotted Joe and Pete crossing the gym as well, but they ignored Pete. 

 

Pete was hard to ignore, though. He still had bright pink hair. 

 

“Don’t say anything,” Brendon muttered to Spencer. 

 

“I wasn’t going to,” Spencer said back. Mikey had a feeling that they weren’t supposed to overhear Spencer and Brendon. They wanted to know what the two of them were talking about, though. It seemed interesting. 

 

It also seemed like drama, so maybe not. 

 

Everyone had settled into their seats. Coach G stood in front of them, staring up at them with her hands on her hips and her chin up. She looked fierce, considering she was probably a few inches shorter than Frank. “Everyone, listen up. I want you all to take this class seriously, and know that if you’re slacking off, you will face consequences. Starting tomorrow, you need to have gym clothes, and they need to be in the school colours. That means blue, gold, black, grey, or white. Any other colours will result in points being deducted from your final grade.”

 

“What the hell,” Brendon whispered. “That’s ridiculous.”

 

“You should also have a lock for your locker. This is more for your own personal safety, as you’ll be storing all of your things, including your phones, in the lockers during class,” she continued. “Phones and MP3 players are allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday, because those are our running days and I’ll allow you to listen to music while you run. If I see you with any kind of electronics on a non-running day, I  _ will _ confiscate it.”

 

Mikey made a face. Just because they weren’t using kik didn’t mean they wanted to go without their phone. 

 

“We’ll also be taking attendance at the beginning of class, and I want everyone to sit in alphabetical order so that I can go down the list without any problems,” she said. She grabbed a matching purple clipboard from the ground and clicked a pen. “When I call your name, please come to the front and sit down. Also, try to remember who you’re sitting next to for tomorrow.”

 

Mikey looked over at Pete. His last name was Wentz, which was super close to Mikey’s last name, and that meant they’d probably be next to each other. 

 

Sure enough, they were, but there was only Joe between Mikey and Spencer, and Brendon was on the other side of Pete. Pete and Brendon were pointedly not acknowledging each other. Brendon had even turned away from Pete, and Pete had his arms cross and was glaring across the gym. If Mikey wasn’t avoiding drama (and Pete), they’d ask what was going on. 

 

Instead, they turned to Joe and said, “please tell me you’re dreading this too.”

 

“I dread it every year,” Joe said. They motioned to Spencer. “But at least I’m with Spence again. He makes it manageable.”

 

“No, I just make you feel less like shit,” Spencer said. “I don’t know how it’s never come up, but I really, really hate team sports, and we have to do those every other Friday. It’s the actual worst thing to come out of high school.”

 

“But is it better or worse than weight lifting?” Joe asked. 

 

Mikey’s eyes widened. They were gangly and weak. “We have to do weight lifting?”

 

“Yep,” Joe said. “Every Monday and Wednesday.”

 

“Oh, shit,” Mikey said. Spencer reached around Joe and patted them sympathetically on the head. Mikey reminded themself that at least they weren’t alone. They didn’t have to suffer through gym without any of their friends.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! 
> 
> Also, I've started a nohic blog on tumblr, because I'm kind of bad at twitter and I've been on tumblr since 2013 so I kind of know what I'm doing. It's ask-nohic.tumblr.com, and you can send in questions for either the cast or me! Yee!


	49. The First Rehearsal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be honest... I forgot to update this fic for a few days. I don't have an excuse, because I haven't been any more busy than I usually am. 
> 
> Also, I'm working on a one-shot in this AU from Brendon's POV, so that's something to look forward to. It won't be out for a bit, because it happens near the end of January, but... keep an eye out. Brendon is coming.

Tuesday’s gym class wasn’t bad. It turned out that Brendon could run really fast, and so she ran on her own while Spencer, Joe, and Mikey jogged and walked and acted like they weren’t slacking off and just talking about shit. Pete was hanging out with a few of their soccer friends. They seemed to realise that Mikey didn’t want to hang out with them any more. 

 

Mikey did feel bad about stealing Joe from them, though, but Joe didn’t seem to mind. 

 

“Pete’s usually a good person, but sometimes they’re pretty fickle,” Joe said. “That, and they’ve got a weird thing with Brendon.”

 

“Does it involve Ryan?” Mikey asked. 

 

“It always involves Ryan,” Spencer said, and then motioned for the three of them to start jogging again because Coach G was glaring at them. They started jogging again, and Mikey put their second earbud back in, and listened to the Ramones for about five minutes before Joe tugged on their earbud and they returned to walking. 

 

They didn’t get to shower after class, though, which Mikey thought was weird. Mikey hadn’t been looking forward to showering, because public showers were gross and they didn’t like showering anyway, but they’d expected to at least get the option. Instead, everyone was given six minutes to change back into their street clothes before the bell rang and they had to go to their next class. 

 

The rest of Tuesday was dull. Mikey and Frank ate alone at lunch, because Pete, Andy, Joe, and Patrick had all moved to a different table. Mikey didn’t ask about it. Instead, they offered Frank a tissue and some Advil when he started coughing a lot. 

 

“Are you wearing a binder?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Yeah, but I’m fine,” Frank said. His voice sounded raw. “This isn’t even that bad.”

 

Mikey frowned. “I’m pretty sure you’re lying.”

 

“Hey, come on, I’m used to this,” Frank said. “I know what I’m doing. I promise.”

 

Mikey didn’t believe Frank, but they didn’t argue with him either. They just changed the subject to the Killjoys comic, because they knew that Frank was a fan and he’d been developing a character with Gee before New Year’s happened. Apparently Frank’s character was going to have a mask that made him look like a monster, and be covered in tattoos and be really impulsive.

 

“I asked Gee if I could be the reason we get in trouble,” Frank said as he unwrapped a cough drop. “She said that someone had to.”

 

“So it’s just like real life?” Mikey asked. 

 

Frank flipped them off as he tossed the cough drop into his mouth. “Hey, fuck you, I’m responsible.”

 

Mikey raised an eyebrow. Frank stuck out his bottom lip. “Okay, fine, good point. But at least I’m not throwing car bombs at people in real life?”

 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good thing,” Mikey said. They stretched their legs out under the table, careful not to kick their backpack, Frank’s backpack, or Frank’s legs. “Are you doing anything after school today?”

 

“Don’t you have rehearsal?” Frank said. “Also I have to take the bus because mom had to start taking the day shift and she can’t pick me up anymore.”

 

“Oh, that sucks,” Mikey said. They’d never been on a high school bus, but they’d been on a middle school bus and those sucked ass. It was even worse during the two years where they didn’t have Gee or Ray with them, because then they were alone with only their headphones protecting them from annoying straight boys. 

 

Mikey bit at their thumbnail. “But, yeah, I do have rehearsal. I just don’t know if I’m ready to do it alone, you know?”

 

“Oh, yeah, because you’re totally going to be alone in there,” Frank said, rolling his eyes. “Dude, half of our friend group is in the musical. We might as well just hold GSA meeting there instead of in Mr. Armstrong’s room.”

 

“I like Mr. Armstrong, though,” Mikey said. 

 

Frank nodded. “Yeah, me too. And I don’t think the drama teacher would be okay with a bunch of not drama kids hanging out there.”

 

“True,” Mikey said. 

 

After school ended, Mikey headed straight to the drama room. There were rehearsals every day after school except on Mondays, because apparently Brendon was Veronica’s favourite and also Laura had asked Veronica to support the gays and not make them more their club date around. Mikey was just glad they got a day off. Drama was tiring. 

 

They were meeting in the drama room and not the theatre/auditorium. Mikey slid in and found their usual seat in the back. Lindsey joined them a few moments later, followed by Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer. Andy and Pete came in about ten minutes after school let out, but they didn’t head to the back. Andy waved at Mikey, though, but he still followed Pete to the front row to sit in the middle. 

 

“I didn’t expect Andy to take Pete’s side,” Lindsey said, crossing their arms over their chest. 

 

“He’s not taking anyone’s side,” Brendon said, rolling her eyes. “You all are all taking this way more seriously than you need to. Pete and I fight all the time. It’s not a big deal.”

 

“It kind of is,” Dallon said. They didn’t elaborate. Mikey didn’t ask. 

 

At exactly two-thirty, Veronica clapped her hands and the entire room was silent. She instructed everyone to pull out their scripts, saying that they’d be running through the script today, just one long run, and getting everyone to become more familiar with their parts. Everyone still had their scripts, and Laura was there to fill in for anyone who wasn’t there to say their lines. 

 

Veronica smiled a tight smile at the kids. “I sure hope no one missed the first rehearsal. That would just be disappointing.”

 

She pulled up a chair next to Laura and flipped open her own script--which was in a binder and looked super professional. She pointed to a guy in the second row with buzzed, generic brand brown hair and said, “we start with you and Fred in the bar. Where’s our Fred the bartender?”

 

A guy with a pastel blue mohawk, sitting a few people down from buzzcut, raised his hand. “I’m Fred.”

 

“Well then, Mr. Fred, please start us out,” Veronica said. “We’ll be skipping out on the musical parts for now. You’ll be learning them with the chorus teacher on Thursdays and Fridays.”

 

Blue mohawk nodded, and started to read from his script, talking to buzzcut like they were actually in a bar and this was a real musical. They weren’t bad, but Mikey also didn’t have a lot of experience with acting. They were just making things up as they went. 

 

When it was Spencer’s turn to start speaking, he went all in. It was like Mikey was sitting beside someone totally different. Mikey was impressed, but of course, Spencer wasn’t new at this. He wasn’t just doing this because he wanted something cool on his college admissions. He was doing this because he enjoyed it. 

 

It was fun, seeing how everyone interpreted their characters. When it was Mikey’s turn to act, and pretend to be Erma, they faced their friends and pretended that they were just at Spencer’s house, and that there weren’t a bunch of people watching them. They still wavered a lot, and Veronica had to remind them to speak up, but they didn’t fuck up too badly. 

 

Considering it was the first real rehearsal, it went pretty okay. 

 

“Hey, Mikey, do you need a ride home or anything?” Dallon asked as they were all trailing out of the drama room. The sun had set, and it was cold out, but Mikey could see their mom’s car in the student parking lot. She had the headlights on. 

 

Mikey shook their head. “Nah, my mom’s right there. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 

“Definitely,” Dallon said, and gave Mikey a two fingered salute. Mikey responded with one of their own, and then headed down to their mom’s car. Lindsey’s mom had already picked her up, and Dallon was apparently driving Spencer and Brendon back because Spencer wasn’t allowed to have his car while he was grounded and Dallon had volunteered to take him home so that his parents didn’t have to come get him. 

 

Mikey saw through that. It was an excuse for the three of them to hang out. They were proud of those three, really. They made healthy relationships look easy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	50. mom fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me to the group chat: should I update nohic tonight or tomorrow night?  
> Everyone in the group chat: Tonight.

**vampiregee** : so how was the first rehearsal

**satan’s gf** : not bad

**satan’s gf** : andy has a really bad new york accent though

**hurleyxvx** : i’m from milwaukee i’m not supposed to have a new york accent

**satan’s gf** : ok but that never stopped me

**satan’s side ho** : Bren, you’re basically a professional at this point. You don’t count.

**satan’s gf** : i totally count

**fuckchristmas** : important question since it’s january should i change my name back

**hurleyxvx** : yes

**hurleyxvx** : make it be valentinessux or something since that’s the next ridiculous holiday

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : or become fucktrump to keep up with the fuck-x thing you’ve got going

**zoid** : no you can’t get rid of fuckchristmas it’s Iconic

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : joe can do as they please

**zoid** : joe please i thought we were something special

**fuckchristmas** : we are

**fuckchristmas** : we share a mutual hatred for capitalism and the invasive tendencies of christianity

**fuckchristmas** : but andys right and im out of season

**zoid** : this means war hurley

**hurleyxvx** : you can always change your name to fuckchristmas

**zoid** : nah it’s joe’s thing i’ll come up with my own

 

- **fuckchristmas** changed their name to  **josephtrohstar** -

 

**vampiregee** : WEEB

**vampiregee** : put a dollar in the jar

**josephtrohstar** : wait no

**josephtrohstar** : im changing it hold on

 

- **josephtrohstar** changed their name to  **fuckchristmas** -

 

**fuckchristmas** : sorry andy

**hurleyxvx** : its cool

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : that was an adventure

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’d like to make a shoutout to gee for coming over to my house while i was dying even though she could have gotten infected

**vampiregee** : that’s my secret frank

**vampiregee** : i yearn for the sweet release of death

**fuckchristmas** : gee no

**vampiregee** : don’t tell me how to live mx. my name is out of season

**fuckchristmas** : yours??? is halloween??

**vampiregee** : ITS NOT A PHASE MOM

**momfriend** : i heard mom and came immediately

**momfriend** : actually i just checked my phone at the right time

**momfriend** : what’s happening

**zoid** : frank’s dying

**fuckchristmas** : gee wants to die

**satan’s gf** : lowkey i’m pretty sure we all want to die

**fuckchristmas** : ur right but sometimes i like to be positive

**satan’s side ho** : I’m positive we all want to die. 

**fuckchristmas** : ...dollar in the jar

**satan’s side ho** : I accept this. 

 

**satan’s gf** : ok can it be february already i miss my boyfriend

**zoid** : oh shit february means valentines day

**hurleyxvx** : sounds like a pain

**fuckchristmas** : yes… because you don’t get patrick, pete, and i stuffed bears that say “shit bitch you is fine every year”

**hurleyxvx** : i love my friends and those bears are funny

**fuckchristmas** : andrew i have five

**satan’s side ho** : That’s dedication. 

**satan’s side ho** : Wait, how were you getting a bear that said “bitch” on it when you were nine?

**hurleyxvx** : that was actually when i found out that my parents don’t pay attention to amazon orders

**hurleyxvx** : i have been using it to my advantage ever since

**zoid** : nice

 

**fuckchristmas** : brendon i kno u hav ur phon look @ the guy w yellow pants

**satan’s gf** : omy god

**satan’s gf** : he has a bonr on the track

**satan’s gf** : i pnted tht out to spence and he said “nutting for speed”

**satan’s gf** : i said NUTTIN FOR THE SPEED actually (this is spence i stole her phone)

**fuckchristmas** : i saw

**momfriend** : what the fuck is going on with you guys

**momfriend** : are you in gym???

**fuckchristmas** : yeah

**fuckchristmas** : u think hes gonna nut in his pants

**satan’s gf** : mikey said we’ll def know if he does

**satan’s gf** : tetxing and running is hard

**satan’s gf** : spencer: “nutting and running is probably harder… ayee”

**satan’s gf** : guys im dating a straight boy

**satan’s gf** : spencer: “IM NOT STRAIGHT” ...if it talks like a duck…

**momfriend** : i want to be in you guys’ gym class it sound fun

**fuckchristmas** : IT IS NOT

**fuckchristmas** : PETES HERE THEYVE GOT THE MIKEY SADS AND MIKEYS GOT THE PETER ANGST

**momfriend** : i change my mind you guys have fun with your yellow boner guy

**satan’s gf** : spencer: what if its actually a banana in his pants

**momfriend** : tell spencer he needs to stop this is ridiculous

**zoid** : not to interrupt entirely but can anyone give me a ride home today my mom can’t pick me up and i really don’t want to ride the bus

**vampiregee** : i can?

**zoid** : thanks babe

 

**satan’s side ho** : Someone please tell the guy playing Whitney that he’s not the star of the show. Oh my GOD.

**satan’s gf** : I KNOW IM YELLING

**hurleyxvx** : guys get off your phones

**satan’s gf** : u first andrew

**hurleyxvx** : shut the hell

**fuckchristmas** : making band my art elective was the best choice i made

**fuckchristmas** : also @ someone in the gym squad can i be your weight lifting partner pete already paired up with someone from the Sports

**satan’s gf** : spencer said he’d be cool with it

**satan’s gf** : i’m mikey’s partner now

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i hate to interrupt your salt session but guess who’s in the doctor’s office again

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : its me

**hurleyxvx** : are you… dying?

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : its probably just the flu but ma’s freaking out because i’m still sick

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i vomited up blue gatorade earlier that was fun

**fuckhristmas** : frank that sounds like the opposite of fun

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : no it sucked but it was funny because i puked all over a gas station floor bc i was too sick/anxious to tell the people in front of me that i was dying

**satan’s gf** : frank… what the hell

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : lmao thats what my mom said

**satan’s gf** : i’m your mom now i guess

**momfriend** : hey now

**momfriend** : stop stealing my brand

**satan’s gf** : guess we have to fight to the death now

 

- **satan’s side ho** changed the name of the group to  **mom fight** -

 

**satan’s gf** : thanks dallon

**momfriend** : brendon u can be the vodka aunt

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : wait does that mean i’m the weed cousin

**fuckchristmas** : i thought i was the weed cousin

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : well if ray’s still your mom you can be my weed cousin

**fuckchristmas** : sweet

 

**hatrick** : so are we going to invite pete back or are they just gone forever

**vampiregee** : have you guys been talking to them because i barely see them anymore

**vampiregee** : i kno they’re in the drama thing but i don’t pick mikey up from drama

**zoid** : pete and andy don’t sit with us in rehearsal

**hatrick** : i haven’t asked pete if they want to come back but it’s weird without them

**fuckchristmas** : true

**hurleyxvx** : i can talk to pete about it if you guys want

**hurleyxvx** : but they did leave the chat themself it’s not like one of us kicked them out

**vampiregee** : brendon kind of did

**zoid** : :/

**vampiregee** : i mean she exposed all of their secrets

**fuckchristmas** : dude pete was stalking your sibling online

**fuckchristmas** : kind of

**hurleyxvx** : it was weird; pete’s weird

**vampiregee** : idk i just don’t think brendon reacted how she should have

**zoid** : i think that both of them were being impulsive dumbasses and they should probably sit down and yell at each other without anyone witnessing it

**hatrick** : someone might die

**zoid** : i doubt it

**hatrick** : pete slept with brendon’s ex

**hatrick** : pete also slept with brendon

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : not to bring up homecoming but didn't they kiss there too or something

**zoid** : i’ve tried to block homecoming out of my mind

**hatrick** : relatable

 

**hatrick** : i have a bad idea but i’m gonna share it anyway

**fuckchristmas** : you had me at “bad idea”

**hurleyxvx** : gay

**fuckchristmas** : shut your hell

**satan’s gf** : what’s the bad plan man

**hatrick** : it involves you and pete talking

**satan’s gf** : uhhhhhhhhhhh

**satan’s gf** : how bout No

**hatrick** : u two need to sort your shit out

**fuckchristmas** : i think what patrick is trying to say is: YOURE TEARING THIS FAMILY APART

**satan’s gf** : ok weed cousin

**satan’s gf** : my anaconda will consider it

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**satan’s gf** : thanks lindsey

**zoid** : so how are we going to make them talk to each other

**hatrick** : we’re putting the two of you in joe’s van and we’re driving around until you two are friends

**fuckchristmas** : i don’t have enough gas for that

**zoid** : we can give you the sin jar

**hurleyxvx** : how much money is in the sin jar

**zoid** : idk mikey has it

**hurleyxvx** : ask gee to ask mikey

**zoid** : i haven’t been able to get in contact with gee all day

**zoid** : its thursday so i have no idea what she’d be doing

**hatrick** : thats……. Bad

**zoid** : yeah maybe she’s just taking a depression nap or something

**satan’s gf** : i can have dallon ask her tomorrow in health. i think they have the same period together

**zoid** : rad

**hatrick** : when should we do this

**satan’s gf** : not today there’s rehearsal

**hatrick** : rehearsal doesn’t last all day brendon we can kidnap you two after it

**satan’s gf** : i have a life outside of school patrick

**hatrick** : so do i but i’m also willing to give up a few hours of my time to kidnap my friends and make them talk

**satan’s gf** : ok fine we’ll do it today

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed, and if you want to get more nohic content/shenanigans, I have a nohic blog at @ask-nohic on tumblr!


	51. Come Get Your Tacos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, not to be a pissy angry author person... but there's a 13 Reasons Why AU floating around on ao3 and I'm Pissed. First of all, that show glorifies mental illness and it's hella triggering and a really bad representation of depression/why people commit suicide. Second, they made Spencer the bad guy. Spencer Smith. Literally the softest, gentlest dude in bandom (except maybe Jon). What the fuck. 
> 
> So, sorry for unloading that. This chapter is a bit lighter, because its partially based around a shitpost I made on tumblr a few weeks ago. Enjoy!

Mikey had changed their mind about being in a musical. It was fun, but they really wanted everyone to shut up and stop trying to out-sing each other. Veronica also kept telling Mikey to sing louder, which Mikey  _ did not want to do _ . They weren’t a loud person.

 

“What are you guys doing after rehearsal?” Mikey asked Dallon. They were in between scenes, and Veronica was talking to some of the other cast members about something they’d been doing wrong. Mikey and Dallon were sitting on the edge of the stage, scripts in hand. “Because I kind of want to get coffee or something.”

 

“Is your mom going to be okay with that?” Dallon asked. 

 

“I don’t know why she wouldn’t be okay with it,” Mikey said. “I can just lie and say that I’ll be working on homework.”

 

“I can probably go, but Brendon’s doing something else and Spencer’s still grounded,” Dallon said. They frowned. Spencer being grounded sucked, because Spencer’s parents were one of the few sets of parents who were okay with about a dozen gay kids crashing in their basement on the weekends. Also, Spencer was fun to hang out with.

 

“What’s Brendon doing?” Mikey asked. 

 

“It’s hard to explain,” Dallon said, looking over to where their girlfriend was. She and Spencer were practicing their choreography, even though they didn't have to know it yet. Overachievers. “It’s because of something in the group chat, though.”

 

“Huh,” Mikey said. “I’m surprised that’s still going. It’s not like we don’t see each other all the time at school.”

 

“I guess sometimes we just have to vent at each other,” Dallon said. “It is weird, though, since you and Spencer aren’t there any more. It’s kind of quiet.”

 

“I didn’t realise that Spencer and I talked that much in the group chat,” Mikey said. 

 

“Well, you’re kind of the reason we all know each other, and Spencer’s just really funny,” Dallon said. A warm smile crossed their face, and Mikey knew they were thinking about their boyfriend. “Brendon was narrating your gym class the other day.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said. “That was hilarious. We never found out if it was a banana or a boner, by the way.”

 

“I don’t know which I want it to be,” Dallon said. 

 

Mikey nodded in agreement. They were called back to the rehearsal a few minutes later, and then they had to return to acting. A lot of their scenes were with Moonface, who was played by Pete, and Mikey was pretty sure they’d been cursed by someone. Pete kept switching from being friendly towards Mikey and then acting like he had no idea who Mikey even was. It was confusing. 

 

Mikey was really glad when rehearsal was finally over. They convinced their mom to let them “study” (get coffee) with Dallon and Spencer, who had blatantly lied to his mom on the phone and said that rehearsal had run late and he would be catching a ride home with Dallon. 

 

They all left the drama room together and sat at the flagpole to wait for Lindsey’s mom. She showed up about five minutes later, and Lindsey threw up a peace sign as they jogged over to their mom’s car. After Lindsey and their mom left, Brendon kissed Spencer and Dallon both before heading over to where Joe’s van was parked in the student lot. 

 

Mikey frowned and pointed to Joe’s van. “Why’s Joe here?”

 

“They might be picking up Pete?” Dallon said in response, glancing over at Spencer like Spencer had any idea what was going on. Spencer and Mikey were equally clueless about the goings on of the group, since Spencer was grounded from his phone and Mikey had just stopped checking the chat.

 

Spencer shrugged. “Probably. I don’t know shit.”

 

Mikey figured that that was the best answer they would get unless they walked over to Joe’s van and actually  _ asked them _ what they were doing at the school after seven PM. They got into the backseat of Dallon’s car, and watched Joe’s van get smaller and smaller as Dallon drove away from the school. 

 

They went to the Starbucks by the school, which was a lot emptier now than it had been when they all went right after school let out. The three of them found a table in the back, so that they wouldn’t be in everyone’s way, and settled in. Mikey took a sip of their coffee (a grande mocha latte). “So, why’d you guys want to get coffee with me? Why not just each other?”

 

“It’s weird going on dates without Brendon,” Dallon said. “Or without Spencer. It just feels like something’s missing the entire time, so we’ve stopped trying to do partial dates. It just isn’t worth it.”

 

“So then why am I here?” Mikey repeated the question. “Is it just that you guys were lonely, or is something up?”

 

Dallon and Spencer exchanged glances. So something was up, even if they weren’t going to tell Mikey what it was. Mikey just hoped it wasn’t more drama in their group. They’d had enough of that last year. 

 

Spencer was the first to respond. “Not to be invasive or anything, but is Gee doing okay? Not, like, neurotypical okay, but okay enough that we don’t need to be worried about her. Because we are. Worried about her, that is. She’s been acting strangely lately.”

 

Mikey bit at their fingernail. They didn’t want to unload on Spencer and Dallon that Gee had an eating disorder and had been relapsing recently, but they also didn’t want to outright lie to their friends. Spencer and Dallon were worried about Mikey’s sister, who was also their friend. 

 

“You don’t have to go into detail, or anything,” Dallon added when Mikey still hadn’t figured out how to answer. “We just… we’re worried. We wanted to know if we were overreacting or not.”

 

“She’s not okay, but I don’t know if there’s anything you guys can to do help,” Mikey said. They didn’t know what they could do to help, because they weren’t sure what was causing Gee to be so upset. “I guess just keep her a part of the group and make sure she feels included? She’s got a weird inferiority complex thing going on, where she assumes that people hate her all the time. I kind of do it too, but not as… drastically as Gee.”

 

Spencer and Dallon exchanged looks again. Mikey rolled their eyes. “I had a good reason for leaving the chat, okay? I needed a break from all the drama.”

 

“But you didn’t drop any of us as friends?” Dallon said. 

 

Mikey crossed their arms over their chest and cocked an eyebrow. “Do you  _ want _ me to drop you guys as friends?”

 

“No,” Spencer said.

 

Dallon nodded. “Yeah, no, we definitely want to keep being friends with you. We just also want you to be healthy and all that. So, like, if you need space, you can have space, but don’t go all quiet on us if you really need support.”

 

“Thanks, guys,” Mikey said. For a moment, they considered telling Spencer and Dallon about everything that had happened with Pete. Brendon already knew. Brendon hadn’t told them, otherwise Mikey would know. They wouldn’t care if she’d told them, though, because Mikey trusted her and they also trusted Dallon and Spencer. Mikey smiled and drank from their coffee. “I really appreciate that.”

 

They didn’t mention Pete for the entire evening. The three of them split off around eight, because Spencer’s mom was going to start looking for him if he didn’t show up, and Spencer didn’t want to get into any more trouble because he was afraid his parents would  _ really _ ground him. Mikey texted their mom saying that they were getting a ride home, and then got into the back of the car as Dallon drove Spencer home. 

 

Dallon drove straight from Spencer’s house to Mikey’s. Mikey didn’t say much, because they were tired. They’d been awake since five thirty that morning, just like every morning they had to go to school, but they hadn’t slept well the night before. They yawned.

 

“You literally just had coffee,” Dallon said from the front seat. 

 

“Coffee doesn’t affect me for some reason,” Mikey said. They only felt the effects of coffee if they drank it in the morning. “I just like the taste of it. And also I like Starbucks because it’s an excuse to get out of the house.”

 

“Understandable,” Dallon said, They pulled up into Mikey’s driveway and kept the headlights on so that Mikey could see as they got out of the car. Mikey grabbed their backpack an their bag of gym clothes off of the floor of Dallon’s car, and got out, waving at Dallon as they pulled the key to the garage out of their pocket. Dallon waved back at them, and backed out of the driveway once Mikey had opened the door to the basement. 

 

Mikey closed and locked the door and headed to their room. Gee wasn’t there, which was weird, because Gee never left the house. Mikey frowned and tossed their bags onto the bed before leaving to go upstairs and find either their parents or Lena. 

 

They found their mom first. She was sitting at the kitchen table, glasses on and reading a book that Mikey couldn’t see the title of. There was a cigarette in her hand. Mikey’d always thought that their parents were hypocritical for telling Gee not to smoke when they both smoked. She looked up over her glasses at Mikey as they came into the room. “Did you and your friends get dinner or was it just drama rehearsal and studying?”

 

“Uh, no, I haven’t had anything yet,” Mikey said. Their mom nodded and tapped her cigarette out before getting up and heating up some food for Mikey. It smelled like tacos. Mikey had no idea that their mom even knew how to make tacos, but they weren’t complaining.

 

They pulled up a chair and sat on their legs. “When did you learn how to make tacos?”

 

“When your brother told me he was a vegetarian,” she said. She shook her head. “I really wish you two would tell me what you were getting up to. I thought Gerard was skipping dinner because he was getting it with that friend of yours, Frank or something, but apparently it was just that he didn’t want to eat meat anymore. So, to help your brother out, we’re going vegetarian for a little.”

 

“Okay,” Mikey said. They didn’t know that Gee was a vegetarian, either, or that she was hanging out with Frank more now. 

 

The doorbell rang, startling Mikey because people usually just knocked. They got up to go see who it was, because it was like eight at night and people didn’t come to the Way house at eight at night on a school day. Unless it was Ray or Lindsey, but Mikey would have known about either of them coming over, because they always waited for confirmation from Mikey or Gee before coming over. 

 

Ray and Lindsey also came in through the basement, now that Mikey was thinking about it. They frowned as they grabbed the key from the table by the door and unlocked the front door. 

 

“Hey, Mikey,” Brendon said from the other side of the door. She was dressed in jeans and a hoodie, and wasn’t wearing makeup. She also had two bags slung over her shoulder: her backpack and a very full gym bag. “Can I come in? Also, does your mom have enough tacos that I can get some, because I really do not want to go home tonight.”

 

“Let me… ask?” Mikey said. They had no idea how Brendon even knew that Mikey’s mom was making vegetarian tacos tonight. Mikey didn’t even know, and they lived here. They leaned back away from the door and yelled towards the kitchen, “mom! My friend Brendon is here! Can he have tacos?”

 

“Of course!” She yelled back. “Tell him I’ve got the couch ready for him, whenever he wants to go to bed!”

 

Mikey turned back around to Brendon. “Wait, this was  _ planned _ ?”

 

Brendon shrugged as she came in past Mikey, closing the door behind her. “I heard there were going to be tacos. I like tacos.”

 

For a moment, Mikey actually considered getting back on kik. And then they remembered that there were tacos in the kitchen, and that tacos and a surprise Brendon were a lot better than having to face Pete ever again. They returned to the kitchen and made a taco alongside Brendon, and then joined Brendon and their mom at the table to eat. 

 

Brendon was an entirely different person around Mikey’s mom. She was polite and parent friendly, and she acted like some nerdy church choir kid. Mikey did their best to plan along, but they were pretty lost.

 

“Do either of you have homework?” Mikey’s mom asked. Brendon and Mikey looked at each other. Mikey had homework, but it wasn’t due for a few more days, so they weren’t going to do it tonight. They shook their head. 

 

“I guess the two of you are free to hang out down here for the night,” she said. “Don’t stay up too late, though. I’m going to go see how Gerard’s doing and if he’s planning on coming back here for the night.”

 

“Thanks mom,” Mikey said.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving Mikey off. “I’m just glad that the two of you are making friends.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> (Side note: if you see/read the 13 reasons why AU please don't yell at the author. I know it's bad, youse guys probably know it's bad, but there are better ways to tell people that they're being Yikes. don't keep someone from their passion by being a piece of shit; educate the youth)


	52. Purple (The Morning After)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Purple has nothing to do with the chapter, I'm just posting this on FOB7 day because I can.

When Mikey woke up the next morning, Gee was there. She hadn’t been there when Mikey’s mom had made Mikey and Brendon go to bed the night before, so Mikey had no idea when their sister had gotten back in. They also had no idea if their parents knew how late Gee had been out, or if Gee hadn’t seen them yet. 

 

Mikey rolled out of bed and slammed the alarm off. Gee didn’t move. She was out cold. Mikey walked over and looked down at her, kneeling beside Gee’s bed to get a better view. She still had eyeliner on but it was a mess, and her mouth looked swollen, like she’d been hardcore kissing someone the night before. For everyone’s sake, Mikey hoped that the person was Lindsey. 

 

There was a knock at the door and Mikey jumped, falling flat on their ass beside Gee’s bed. They scrambled up and raced to the door, hopping over a pile of stuff on the way. “One sec!”

 

They opened the door, but it was just their mom. She looked tired. “Mikey, make sure you and your brother are ready to go on time, okay? You two have to make sure Brendon gets to school, and I don’t want his parents calling me asking why their son was late after spending the night at my house.”

 

“Got it,” Mikey said, nodding. “I’ll go wake Gee up.”

 

“Alright,” she said. “Brendon’s using the upstairs shower, so don’t worry about covering yourself up before he bursts through here.”

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “Mom. Brendon and I are friends. Stop trying to get me to date people. I’m fourteen.”

 

“I know, but when you do start dating, I want you to be safe about it,” she said. “But, if you do want to date Brendon, he seems like a very nice young man and I wouldn’t mind him dating my baby girl.”

 

Mikey cringed internally. It was the misgendering. There wasn’t anything they could do about it without getting Brendon or themselves in trouble, so they had to let it go, but it still sucked. Mikey nodded. “Okay. Thanks mom. I’m gonna go wake up Gee now. Please don’t talk to Brendon about dating me, that’s weird.”

 

Their mom left them alone. Mikey shook off their mom’s comments. She didn’t know that Brendon was already dating two people. Mikey didn’t want to date Brendon anyway, because Brendon was their friend and they didn’t want to intrude on her relationship with Spencer and Dallon. Mikey had helped to make it happen. They weren’t going to ruin it just because their mom wanted them to date Brendon. 

 

“Gee, wake up,” Mikey said, shaking their sister. “We have to go to school.”

 

“Don’t wanna,” Gee said into her pillow. Her voice was phlegmy. She opened her eyes under her hair and squinted up at Mikey. Mikey let go of her and crossed their arms over their chest. It was early, and Mikey didn’t want to be awake either, but they had to because they didn’t know when the bus came, and they’d probably already missed it. 

 

“Brendon’s here,” Mikey said. “In case you missed that. So if you wanna take a nap in the school parking lot once we get there, that’s fine, but you need to get up long enough to drive Brendon and I to school. Brendon’s parents are gonna be pissed if Brendon misses school, and then mom’s gonna be pissed that we made Brendon miss school.”

 

Gee groaned and rolled over. “Ugh, fine.”

 

Mikey left her alone and grabbed some clothes to change into. They showered, but they spaced out for a while and only realised it when their mom started banging on the door to tell them that Gee needed to shower too. Mikey quickly turned the water off without shampooing their hair and towelled off before changing back into clothes and pulling a beanie down over their head. 

 

It was cold outside and they didn’t have enough time in the morning to blow dry their hair. Thus, beanies.

 

When they got upstairs to the kitchen, Brendon was sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal and a glass of apple juice. Both Mikey and Gee hated orange juice for various reasons, so the Way family drank apple juice for breakfast. During Lent and Easter, though, they drank grape juice because it was cheaper. 

 

Mikey grabbed a bowl and poured themself some cereal. It was Frosted Flakes, which were good without milk, so Mikey just ate them dry. 

 

“Mikey, get something to drink,” their mom said, appearing out of nowhere. She put her hand on her hip. “I can’t believe you just  _ forget _ to hydrate sometimes.”

 

“Sorry,” Mikey said, and grabbed a glass of juice. Brendon was watching everything with thinly veiled interest, like she was waiting for something interesting to happen. Nothing was going to happen, because Mikey had been through this same situation before. Their mom was right, and they did need to hydrate more, but Mikey was bad at remembering to do things. 

 

They poked Brendon’s leg with their foot. “Are you okay?”

 

Brendon’s eyes flicked over to Mikey’s mom, who had her back turned to them and was pouring herself a cup of coffee. Brendon turned back to Mikey and nodded before eating a spoonful of cereal. “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Mikey was going to worry about it. They had anxiety and they cared about their friends, so why wouldn’t they?

 

Gee showed up eventually, looking like death. She had deep circles under her eyes and her skin looked pale. Her nails were bitten down past the quick, and Mikey spotted a drop of dried blood on one of Gee’s thumbs. Mikey frowned around their juice. They’d finished their cereal but not their juice, and they didn’t want their mom to make a big deal about it. 

 

“You don’t look to great,” Mikey’s mom said to Gee. She crossed the kitchen holding a thermos of coffee (most likely for Gee) and pressed her hand to Gee’s forehead. “Did you sleep okay last night? I know you got back late from studying…”

 

“I’m just tired,” Gee said. She reached for the thermos. “Can I have some coffee?”

 

“Of course,” Mikey’s mom said, and handed the thermos over. She ran her hand through Gee’s hair to get it out of her daughter’s eyes. “You three should probably get going so you won’t be late. Do you have any cash on you to buy breakfast at school, or do you need some from me?”

 

“I’m fine, mom, thanks,” Gee said. She grabbed the keys to her car from the kitchen counter and motioned for Brendon and Mikey to follow her. Brendon finished rinsing her bowl in the sink and grabbed her backpack and gym bag from the doorway, and then she and Mikey followed Gee outside. 

 

It was cold, just above freezing, and the car was iced over. Gee looked like she was about to keel over, so Mikey grabbed the scraper from the glove box and started icing off the front window and the side windows. 

 

Brendon climbed into the backseat, and Gee into the driver’s seat, and the two of them watched Mikey work. Mikey’s hands were frozen by the time they were done, and they tucked their hands under their thighs as soon as they were in the car. Mikey shivered. “We need to get gloves.”

 

“You guys don’t have gloves?” Brendon asked. She looked deeply concerned. 

 

“We do, just not in the car,” Mikey said. “Gee and I are pretty bad at being functional people.”

 

Mikey expected Gee to respond with something snarky, but she didn’t say anything. She sipped from her coffee and drove, her eyes half open. The radio was playing a song Mikey had heard many times before, but they didn’t change it because they liked the lyrics. 

 

_ While my friends were getting high and chasing girls down parkway lines _

_ I was losing my mind because the love, the love, the love… _

 

Gee pulled into the student parking lot and turned the car off. She rolled the window down and reached over Mikey to grab her pack of cigarettes from the glove box. Gee pulled one out and stuck it in her mouth. “Don’t wait for me, guys. I’m probably gonna go back to sleep for a bit.”

 

“Cool, see you later,” Brendon said, and bolted from the car. Mikey rolled their eyes and followed Brendon, because they were afraid that Brendon was going to go do something ridiculous. Strange things tended to happen whenever Brendon ran off somewhere.

 

She was waiting for Mikey, though. She’d paused, standing by one of the little medians that broke up the parking lot, and she looked very small in the dark of the morning. Mikey came up to Brendon and stood beside her, tucking their hands into their armpits and trying to keep their gym bag from falling off their shoulder. “Are we going inside?”

 

“Yeah, I need to change before people get here,” Brendon said. Her eyes darted around the parking lot. “This is kind of a weird question, but can you come with me while I change? Usually I have Dallon or Spencer there, but…”

 

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Mikey said. They understood why Brendon was nervous. Bathrooms were terrifying, especially since Mikey wasn’t a girl or a boy. “I’ll watch the door or whatever.”

 

“Thanks,” Brendon said, breaking into a relieved smile. She and Mikey walked across the parking lot and into the school through the backdoors near the arts hallway. There was a bathroom tucked in beside the drama room, and that was the one Brendon ducked into. They went into the girl's’ bathroom and Brendon ducked into the stall closest to the sinks. Mikey dropped their backpack to the floor and leaned against the wall. 

 

“Do you do this every morning?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Yeah,” Brendon said. “And at the end of the day, too. Thank God for Spencer and Dallon having cars, because I’d be fucked otherwise.”

 

“Wait, you ride the bus?” Mikey asked. They made a face at the concept. Mikey had had to ride the bus in middle school, and it was the worst. The bus was always over-crowded, and loud, and no one used their headphones to play their music. 

 

Brendon sighed. Mikey could see her lifting up her legs as she slid her jeans off to replace them with a shiny skirt that Mikey had seen her wear a few times before. “Only in the mornings. My parents think that since the bus is an option, I should take it, and since all my older siblings too the bus to and from school without complaining, I don’t have any excuse not to take it.”

 

“Gee and I could pick you up in the morning,” Mikey offered. They didn’t know why they did it; it wasn’t like Mikey owned the car or could even drive. “Your house is kind of on our way to the school.”

 

“Thanks, Mikey, but I’m good on my own,” Brendon said. The lock clicked, and Brendon stepped out wearing a soft black shirt tucked into the metallic gold skirt. Her heels clicked against the questionable floor of the bathroom as she walked over to the sink to put on her makeup. Mikey watched her do that, surprised by how steady her hand was. 

 

Gee’s makeup was always purposely messy. She said it was grunge, or goth, or both. But Brendon worked her face like she was getting paid to do so, carefully winging her eyeliner and blending the colours on her face. 

 

“You’re staring,” Brendon said, flicking her eyes over to Mikey so that they were looking at each other through the mirror.

 

“Sorry,” Mikey said, and looked away. “You’re really good, by the way. I don’t know anything about makeup, but it looks good so, yeah.”

 

Mikey was rambling. Brendon didn’t seem to mind. She pulled an eyeliner pencil out of her bag and popped the cap off. Brendon turned around and leaned against the sink, facing Mikey. “Want me to do you your eyeliner for you? I won’t wing it or anything unless you want me to.”

 

“Sure, why not?” Mikey said. They stepped forward, and Brendon lifted their chin up. She took their glasses off and put them on top of Mikey’s head before telling Mikey to look up and stay still. Mikey did as they were told. They hadn’t worn eyeliner in a while, because it was a pain to put on especially since their glasses usually covered it up. It was the only makeup they liked wearing, and they could live without it. 

 

“Alright, done,” Brendon said. She stepped back and Mikey peered around her to look at themself in the mirror. 

 

They dropped their glasses back down onto their face so that they could actually see, and smiled a little at their reflection. Their eyes were lined in black, and it was making their eyes look more green than usual. It wasn’t much, but Mikey liked it. They stood up. “Thanks, Bren.”

 

“Anytime,” she said. “Now scootch, I need to do my lips really quick.”

 

Mikey moved away from the mirror and grabbed their backpack off the floor. No one had come into the bathroom while they and Brendon were there, which was odd. High schoolers tended to hang out in school bathrooms, for whatever reason. “Is it usually this empty in here?”

 

“Yeah,” Brendon said. “Only the band and orchestra kids use these bathrooms before school, and they don’t pay attention to anything that isn’t an instrument.”

 

“Huh,” Mikey said. “I should use these bathrooms more.”

 

“I just try not to drink too much water during the day,” Brendon said. She put her lipstick back into her backpack and grabbed her gym bag off of the floor. “So, we still have time before first period, where do you want to go hang out?”

 

“I usually just go to Mr. Armstrong’s room,” Mikey said. They knew that most people hung out in the cafeteria until the first bell rang, because most people didn’t want to be around teachers unless they had to. Mikey liked Mr. Armstrong, though, and the cafeteria was always loud and overcrowded. 

 

“His room’s close to my homeroom, so sure,” Brendon said. She and Mikey left the bathroom, and were headed out of the arts hall when someone called out Brendon’s name. 

 

Mikey and Brendon turned around, but it was just Spencer, coming in through the band room doors. He walked over to the two of them and leaned up to kiss Brendon, as her heels made her slightly taller than him. “Hey. Did you get home okay last night?”

 

“I spent the night at Mikey’s,” she said, taking Spencer’s hand. The three of them headed up to Mr. Armstrong’s room and huddled around Mikey’s desk. Brendon was in Mikey’s chair, Mikey was on their desk, and Spencer was on Frank’s desk with his legs propped up on Brendon’s thigh. 

 

“Do you think Whitney’s gonna not speed through his lines this time?” Spencer said. He leaned over and batted Brendon’s hands away from where she’d been trying to untie his shoelaces.

 

Mikey pulled their legs up onto the desk in case Brendon decided to attack their feet instead. “Probably not. I can’t understand him half the time he speaks. It’s really annoying.”

 

“I bet the guy was in one elementary school play and then his mom cried and gave him flowers and he thought he was destined for broadway,” Brendon said. She was back to messing with Spencer’s shoelaces. Spencer had given up on trying to stop her. “He acts like he’s got the main role in the show, but then he can’t get his lines right and he doesn’t breathe or look at people when he’s talking.”

 

“I thought he was looking at the bartender guy too much,” Mikey said. “I thought we were supposed to focus on the audience, not each other.”

 

“You’re right,” Brendon said. “But you should probably tell Whitney that. He seems to have forgotten.”

 

The three of them kept bashing on Whitney until the first bell rang and Spencer and Brendon had to leave for their homerooms. Mikey watched them go, a little jealous that they had each other and Mikey didn’t have anyone. They didn’t have Pete, either, because Pete was an idiot who cheated on their girlfriend and then fell in love with the person they were screwing on the side. 

 

Mikey sighed. They needed to choose their crushes better. First Gabe, who’d never been anything but a crush and the occasional fooling around session, and then Pete. Mikey had shitty taste in romantic partners, apparently. 

 

Frank didn’t show up for homeroom or first period. Mikey was worried that he was sick, but since they weren’t using kik, they didn’t have a way to contact Frank and ask. They didn’t want to risk snapchatting Frank in the middle of class, because snapchat was a pain to hide from teachers. Mikey sighed, and pulled out their notebook. 

 

The things they did to stay out of drama. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it, and happy FOB7 day!


	53. snapple fact!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chat name changes like four different times in this chapter, it's ridiculous. Also the snapple fact! part was taken from real life, where some dudes in the pride center were actually looking up snapple facts on google. It was a lot funnier than it sounds, I promise. 
> 
> Either that or I just live a very boring life.

**zoid** : tag yourself i’m being late to rehearsal because taco bell

**satan’s gf** : i didn’t even know we had a taco bell near the school

**satan’s gf** : why? bc i love myself and dont want to die

**hatrick** : wait what happened in drama i cant ask pete since they’re not in the chat

**zoid** : should we add them back

**hurleyxvx** : yeah probably

**hurleyxvx** : also @ patrick what happened was whitney and his squad were all late to rehearsal because they wanted to get taco bell and thought they’d have enough time between the bell @ 2:10 and rehearsal starting

**satan’s gf** : naturally….. they were wrong

**zoid** : veronica is yelling

**zoid** : like a lot

**hatrick** : wow

**hatrick** : also i cant add people to the chat im not an admin we need gee or ray

**zoid** : MOMS

**zoid** : WE NEED U

**momfriend** : u called ur gf mom im kinkshaming

**zoid** : fuck

**hurleyxvx** : dollar in the jar! hah! 

**momfriend** : was that @ lindsey or me

**hurleyxvx** : lindsey

**momfriend** : sweet. im gonna put pete back in the chat now hold on i have to find them

 

- **momfriend** added  **p_wheezie** to the chat-

 

**p_wheezie** : hello again?

**satan’s gf** : welcome back to hell

**momfriend** : if u two fight i will kick both of u out

**zoid** : translation: if u kids dont stop fighting i will turn this car around

**hatrick** : do any of you pay attention in drama rehearsal

**hatrick** : because i have been trying to do my homework for the past thirty minutes but i keep getting notifications from the drama people

**satan’s gf** : i have never paid attention to anything in my life

**hatrick** : somehow i am not surprised

**satan’s gf** : spencer wants me to tell everyone that the girl with two coloured hair looks like the human version of tumblr

**hurleyxvx** : shit he’s right

**p_wheezie** : oh my god

**p_wheezie** : listen u fucks the dude with blue hair is hot

**satan’s gf** : r u serious he looks like a shark

**p_wheezie** : and??????? maybe i wanna fuck a shark

 

- **zoid** changed the name of the group to  **petes a shark fucker** -

 

**p_wheezie** : i missed u guys

**hurleyxvx** : did u really

**p_wheezie** : ………………….. ya 

**momfriend** : don’t u 2 sit next to each other in rehearsal

**p_wheezie** : i would prefer not to get yelled at by the scary lady in heels thank you

**satan’s gf** : yeah no dont try and talk when veronica is pissed she will come for your ass

**satan’s gf** : spencer only gets away with it because he’s cute

 

**vampiregee** : hey guys its a month until valentines day 

**zoid** : whoot whoot

**satan’s side ho** : Did you really just say “whoot whoot”?

**zoid** : yea

**zoid** : do u wanna throw down dallon 

**satan’s side ho** : Yeah, let’s go. Bassist vs. bassist; I’ll meet you outside the school at nine.

**zoid** : i dont have a car 

**satan’s side ho** : I can wait.

**hurleyxvx** : that is the most terrifying thing i’ve ever heard u say

**satan’s side ho** : Technically I didn’t say it…

**hurleyxvx** : i will walk to ur house and fight u irl weekes

**fuckchristmas** : i leave the chat for one day and everyone starts trying to fight each other again 

**fuckchristmas** : where are the mom friends when we need them

**vampiregee** : ray is at her brother’s college swim meet and idk what patrick does in his spare time 

**fuckchristmas** : probably fucking a guitar or something

**fuckchristmas** : patrick’s a weirdo

**hurleyxvx** : leave him alone he’s doing his best

**hatrick** : andy dont lie to our friends

**fuckchristmas** : patrick!!! u have arrived now we have adult supervision

**zoid** : wow ok i can leave

**fuckchristmas** : ur 18?????????

**zoid** : i will be in like 4 months im the closest we have to a real adult

**p_wheezie** : ok sorry to derail everything but i’ve been talking to blue hair guy from drama and he’s gay i’m bringing him to gsa on monday

**satan’s gf** : peter thats gay

**p_wheezie** : im not a boy so Shut Ur Hell

**satan’s gf** : sorry

**satan’s gf** : peter that’s TRANS

 

- **fuckchristmas** changed the name of the group to  **no transgenders in the pride center** -

 

**p_wheezie** : joe we dont have a pride center

**vampiregee** : yea its just mr armstrongs room and my bedroom

 

- **fuckchristmas** changed the name of the group to  **no transgenders in gee’s room** -

 

**vampiregee** : sweet

**vampiregee** : oh yeah i forgot to mention but franks in the hospital with mono i think

**momfriend** : gee no offense but how do you just forget about that

**vampiregee** : i have a bad memory???? idk i’m sorry ://////

**momfriend** : it’s cool. he’s okay tho right? we dont need to rush over and start crying by his bedside and confessing our secrets to him as he dies

**vampiregee** : no??

**vampiregee** : but he might not be on here as much

**satan’s gf** : wow everyone is leaving

**satan’s side ho** : Not everyone. Pete’s back.

**p_wheezie** : *dabs*

**momfriend** : dont make me remove you

**zoid** : dollar in the jar!!

**p_wheezie** : this is child abuse

**fuckchristmas** : pete we’re all children

**p_wheezie** : so? a child can abuse a child? 

**hurleyxvx** : this just in we are all child abusers anytime someone roasts someone in the chat

**hatrick** : wow im so glad i stay out of drama

**satan’s gf** : cant relate

**momfriend** : brendon…….. We Know

**satan’s gf** : shhhh

**satan’s gf** : anyway. is anyone doing anything this weekend because i am bored

**zoid** : you’re always bored???

**satan’s gf** : my house sucks there’s a reason i always spent so much time at spencer’s even before we were dating

**satan’s gf** : mormon parents Suck

**satan’s side ho** : Brendon’s parents are a whole new level of terrifying Mormon parents. 

**vampiregee** : ok but… catholic parents

**satan’s gf** : spencer’s parents are catholic ur argument is invalid

**vampiregee** : spencer’s entire family is an outlier and should never be counted for anything

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**vampiregee** : i’ll hand it to mikey whenever they wake up

**momfriend** : u mean to tell me… that mikey twitter famous way… is actually asleep at a reasonable hour

**vampiregee** : ray it’s 2 in the morning

**momfriend** : yeah on a saturday? time isn’t real on the weekends

**hatrick** : high school, more like sleep schedules aren’t real

**p_wheezie** : patrick that’s a callout post @ me next time

**hatrick** : i would never i live to vague

**satan’s gf** : @ ME NEXT TIME

**vampiregee** : no vaguing in the groupchat

**fuckchristmas** : guys im googling snapple facts and this is the most interesting thing i’ve done in the middle of the night ever

**zoid** : snapple fact: im gay

 

- **fuckchristmas** changed the name of the group to  **snapple fact!** -

 

**zoid** : thank you

**fuckchristmas** : you’re welcome i live for the approval of others

**vampiregee** : No Vaguing In The Group Chat Joseph

**fuckchristmas** : dont tell me what to do i take orders from no person ever

**hatrick** : we should all go to bed this chat is getting ridiculous

**hurleyxvx** : this chat is always ridiculous the time of day has nothing to do with it 

**hatrick** : true but also im literally going to pass out and drop my phone on my face and i would prefer Not To 

**p_wheezie** : go to sleep!!!!! no one is keeping you awake patrick go nap

**hatrick** : ok fine but if i miss anything important i’m killing all of you

 

**satan’s gf** : ok i have a thing to say but i dont want patrick to kill everyone so.

**satan’s gf** : is patrick awake

**hatrick** : yea i just got out of the shower

**vampiregee** : u shower on the weekends???????

**hatrick** : yeah??

**vampiregee** : wild

**vampiregee** : anyway brendon whats up also is this something i should tell mikey

**satan’s gf** : yeah sure

**satan’s gf** : i think my parents are pissed at me because i spent the night at mikey and gee’s house and i dont know if i’m gonna be able to stay after school on monday

**satan’s gf** : or any other day next week

**satan’s gf** : and im worried that they’re gonna call veronica and tell her that i wont be at monday’s rehearsal except there is no rehearsal on monday because we have gsa and then my parents are going to realise ive been lying to them and then im FUCKED

**hatrick** : brendon its going to be okay veronicas an understanding person from what i know about her and i dont think she’d tell your parents there was no monday rehearsal

**hatrick** : youre going to be okay i promise

**satan’s gf** : but what if im not? because i know that my parents hate gay people and i know that i’d get in a lot of trouble or sent away or kicked out if they ever found out about me

**satan’s gf** : i dont want to be in my house right now but i cant leave because they wont let me go anywhere

**satan’s gf** : this is bad 

**satan’s gf** : i don’t want to be here 

**vampiregee** : well they haven’t taken your phone away thats good right?

**satan’s gf** : shit i hope they dont

**satan’s gf** : they wont even let me go over to dallons house and they’ve ALWAYS let me go over to dallon’s house

**satan’s gf** : dallon’s parents are good mormon people and dallon is boring (i love them but they are)

**vampiregee** : mikey and i are also boring

**momfriend** : no u are not

**momfriend** : also @ brendon if u do need to leave ur house because of ur parents my mom and dad are cool with pretty much anything so u can always come crash here

**satan’s gf** : thanks ray

**satan’s gf** : shit i hear them gtg

**vampiregee** : good luck!

 

**zoid** : i just read the messages and holy shit i hope brendons okay

**satan’s side ho** : I saw her at church this morning. Her parents are really mad that she spent the night at a “stranger’s house” but she’s not in too much trouble.

**hatrick** : what /exactly/ is “not in too much trouble”

**satan’s side ho** : She’s not allowed to go to any after school activities for the next week, and if she wants to hang out with friends, they have to go to her house. But she still has her phone and she’ll basically be back to normal by next Monday.

**satan’s side ho** : And please don’t think that I’m not bothered by this. Brendon’s parents suck, but there’s not much we can do about it. 

**zoid** : that sucks a lot ://///

**p_wheezie** : brendon’s still gonna be on kik right? her parents dont check her phone or anything?

**satan’s side ho** : As far as I know, they don’t.

**hatrick** : shit

**hatrick** : if they do i hope they dont see this chat

**satan’s gf** : they dont check my phone i dont think they realise i’m mostly gay online

**zoid** : BRENDON!! YOURE BACK

**zoid** : also sorry your parents suck and even though my house is fuckin tiny you can also stay here if u need it

**satan’s gf** : thank you @ everyone

**satan’s gf** : seriously im so glad im friends with u fucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pete's back! Yay! But Brendon's also got parent issues and Mikey and Spencer are still not active. Dun dun dun. (That's a hint)
> 
> Anyway, please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


	54. New Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters are going to get into the Discourse. Fair warning: I have my own personal opinions on ace discourse, but I don't post about them publicly because I don't want to start getting hate. Please don't attack me if you don't agree with what the characters think. They're not all reflections of my personal opinions.
> 
> Also, a lot of the stuff I discuss in fiction is because I see it happening in reality and I have too much anxiety to talk about it in reality. So. Please don't harrass me or anything.

Mikey considered not going to GSA that next Monday. Gee had told them about Brendon, and even though Brendon had invited herself over, Mikey still felt like it was their fault Brendon was in trouble with her parents. 

 

They showed up at GSA anyway, because Gee was their ride and they were the co-president so it would be bad if they weren’t there. They grabbed a desk in the back of the room and sat on it while Gee and Ray were up in the front of the room talking to Mr. Armstrong. Now that Gee had a tablet, she could make shirt designs, and she wanted to make something for the GSA. Mikey was down for it, but they didn’t have any money. 

 

The door opened and Lindsey came in, gripping a giant portfolio under their arm. They were obviously struggling. Mikey got off the desk to go up and help Lindsey, but Ray got there first, taking the portfolio from under their arm so that Lindsey could straighten up and walk without bumping into things. 

 

Lindsey and Ray set the portfolio and the box of supplies Lindsey was carrying down on a desk in the back corner. Lindsey thanked Ray before leaping over the two desks between them and Mikey. They dropped their backpack to the floor and hopped up on the desk next to Mikey. “Are you actually doing your homework right now?”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said. “Math is hard.”

 

“It gets worse,” Lindsey said. “Just a warning.”

 

“I should just drop out now and start living my life as an internet famous asshole,” Mikey said. They bit at the edge of their middle finger, ripping off the white part of their short nail. “I can be the next Jacob Sagittarius, or whatever his name is.”

 

“I just call him Saggy-tits,” Lindsey said, shrugging. “I never bothered to learn his real name.”

 

Mikey laughed. They got into an intense conversation with Lindsey about alternative names for YouTubers, and didn’t realise that everyone had circled up at the front of the room until Ray came over and flicked them both on the shoulder. “Guys, come on, time to go be gay in a circle.”

 

“That’s my favourite way to be gay,” Mikey said drily. They left their stuff in the back of the classroom and joined the circle. They were between Dallon and Gee, and there were four new people sitting across the circle, beside Pete. Mikey narrowed their eyes. They recognised the new people from drama rehearsal, but they didn’t know anyone’s names. 

 

“Where’s Spencer?” Mikey asked Dallon. 

 

“He had to do something for his mom,” Dallon said. “He’s also going to try and see Brendon, just to make sure that she’s actually okay and not putting up a front.”

 

Mikey nodded. “You’re doing okay, right?”

 

“I’ve been worse,” Dallon said. They stretched their legs out so that their feet were flat on the ground. “I’m just worried about Brendon. I don’t want her parents to isolate her again and fuck her up. They’re really shitty people.”

 

Ray was starting the meeting, so Mikey couldn’t say anything else to Dallon. They reached over and patted Dallon’s hand instead, hoping to get the message across that way. If Brendon needed to get away from her family, Mikey could always smuggle her into their house. Mikey’s mom would be supportive, because her dad had been abusive and that was why she’d grown up with only Lena. Mikey had never met their grandfather. They were okay with that. 

 

“Since we have some new people, I think we should go around and introduce ourselves again,” Ray said. She glanced over at Mr. Armstrong, who was back in the circle again. “Just say your name and your pronouns, and then if you’re comfortable, you can also say your orientation. I’ll start, since I’m one of the presidents. I’m Ray, I use he/him, and I’m bisexual.”

 

So Ray still wasn’t out. Mikey wouldn’t put pressure on her, because it was harder to be a trans woman than a trans guy, but they still wished that Ray could be herself. 

 

“I’m Mr. Armstrong, I’m the adult in charge of you guys, I use he/him,” Mr. Armstrong said. 

 

Joe was next. They’d gone back to their natural hair colour over the weekend, and they were starting to grow out their hair. “So, I’m Joe. I use they/them, but I’ve been trying out ae/aer pronouns. They’re kind of new, so if you don’t know how to use them, that’s cool, you can always ask me and I’ll draw you a diagram or whatever. And I’m pretty pansexual, so yeah.”

 

“Wait,” the girl with curly pigtails asked. “Are those real pronouns?”

 

Joe stared at her. “Uh, yeah? I mean nothing is real but those are the pronouns I use.”

 

The girl made a face. “I’ve never heard them before.”

 

Before Joe and the girl could get into a real argument--or before Gee could get involved and start explaining gender theory--Mr. Armstrong leaned into the circle and said, “this is an inclusive club. Either be respectful of people’s gender and sexual identities, or spend your time elsewhere.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Sorry.”

 

Patrick, Andy, and Pete all introduced themselves (Pete was using he/him pronouns again, even though he was sporting eyeliner, a glittery beanie, and an off the shoulder Avril Lavigne shirt). And then it was time for the four new people. Pete turned and looked at the guy with blue hair sitting beside him, grinning at him the way he used to grin at Mikey before they’d sneak off to make out. “Your turn, Josh.”

 

“Dude, you just spoiled my name,” Josh said, but he was grinning back at Pete. He introduced himself while still staring into Pete’s eyes. “Anyway. I’m Josh. I guess I’d use he pronouns? And I’m homoromantic and asexual.”

 

“Basically, he likes guys but he doesn’t want to have sex with them,” the guy beside Josh said. 

 

Andy shook his head. “We know what asexual means. I’m ace.”

 

The guy’s eyes widened. “Oh, hey, me too! I’m Tyler, by the way, and I use guy pronouns and I’m asexual and heteroromantic. I’m also in a queerplatonic relationship with my partner, Jenna.”

 

Mikey turned to exchange looks with Gee. They had no idea what a queerplatonic relationship was supposed to be, but if anyone was going to know, it would be their sister. Gee knew everything about being queer. Unfortunately, Gee was just as confused as Mikey. She took a drink from her water bottle and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

 

The girl with short blue hair cleared her throat. “Hi, I’m Ashley. I use she/her pronouns and I’m biromantic and heterosexual.”

 

“I’m Melanie, and I’m a homosexual, homoromantic sapphic female,” the girl with long hair said. She flipped one of her pigtails over her shoulder. Again, Mikey and Gee exchanged looks. Mikey wanted to ask Melanie if what she really meant was that she was a lesbian, but they were too anxious to actually speak.

 

“So, I’m Dallon,” Dallon said to break the awkward silence. “I use they/them pronouns, I’m bisexual, and since we’re announcing relationship stuff now, I’m dating two people. Neither of them are here right now, but when they come back, I’ll introduce them. Or they’ll introduce themselves.”

 

“I’m Mikey, I like girls mostly, and they/them,” Mikey said. They didn’t mention Pete at all. They weren’t sure what their relationship status was at this point.

 

“Gee, she/her, and I’m pansexual.”

 

“And I’m Lindsey. I’m a non-binary lesbian, and I use they/them pronouns,” Lindsey said. They pointed their thumb at Gee. “And I’m dating this nerd, since she forgot to mention it.”

 

Gee shook her head, smiling down at her lap. “Wow, way to make me look bad in front of the new kids.”

 

Mr. Armstrong made the  _ I’m waiting _ face at Lindsey and Gee until they stopped teasing each other. He nodded, and addressed the entire circle. “Just a reminder, since we have new members now, I don’t run this club. I’m here to moderate it and make sure you kids don’t do anything too outrageous. So, with that in mind, Ray, the floor is yours.”

 

Ray nodded. “Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I know most of us hate it because of how unnecessarily heterosexual it is. However, I think it’s important to talk about same gender relationships, and non-monogamous dating. The school isn’t going to teach us, so we have to teach ourselves.”

 

“Are we gonna date each other to see how it works out?” Patrick asked. 

 

Ray flipped her off. “No. We’re going to have an open discussion where people can ask about the shit that health class doesn’t cover. I’ve been doing a lot of research, and Mr. Armstrong knows stuff even though he’s been married since we were babies. So, does anyone have any questions they want to start with, or should we just throw stuff into a hat and make it anonymous.”

 

Gee raised her hand. “I have a question. What’s queerplatonic? I’ve never heard that before.”

 

Tyler sat up in his seat, looking more than ready to explain it all. He looked over at Ray first, waiting on her to give him approval to speak. Ray nodded, slowly, and Tyler grinned at her. He turned back to Gee and stared her down the way an adult might look down at a kid to explain something to them. “Okay, so, a queerplatonic relationship is a relationship that isn’t romantic but is more emotionally close than just friendship. It’s like dating someone without kissing or anything gross and sexual.”

 

“Not everyone here thinks that sexual activities are gross,” Dallon said. 

 

“Sorry, I forgot,” Tyler said, and laughed. “I just really don’t have an interest in sex. It’s such a weird concept, you know? Like, why do you need that?”

 

“I like the feeling of cum on my face,” Dallon said, deadpanning at Tyler. Tyler scrunched his face up, obviously disgusted. Mikey just buried their face in their hands. 

 

“Let’s keep it safe for work,” Ray said. “Since we’re all underage and we’re still in school. And since Mr. Armstrong is here.”

 

“Right, sorry,” Dallon said. “I just don’t like people who shame sex. It’s not that big of a deal, and it’s not gross or something that’ll ruin you as a person.”

 

“Exactly,” Ray said. After that, nothing very interesting happened. Ashley asked Dallon about how polyamory worked, and Dallon explained it. The conversation eventually turned into everyone complaining about how the straights were always making out in the hallways, and how it was really annoying. 

 

After the meeting ended, Ray got the new people’s kiks to add them into the group chat. Mikey was glad that they weren’t keeping up with the chat anymore. They didn’t want to wait around and see what kind of drama the new people would come up with. 

 

Mikey watched Pete from their spot at the back of the classroom. Pete was standing by the door, one hand on the strap of his backpack and the other hanging by his side. He was watching Josh talk to Ray with what could only be described as “heart eyes,” and it make Mikey a little jealous. So that was it, then? Mikey ran away when Pete confessed he had feelings for them, and then less than a month later, Pete’s already going after another person to cheat on Patrick with. 

 

Mikey shook their head. They’d made the right choice, ending things with Pete. It hurt now, but it would be better in the long run.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! 
> 
> (Also: yes, Melanie Martinez is supposed to be written as a TERF. I know what I'm doing, at least with her character. The other three's arcs are up in the air right now)


	55. rustle your jimmies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I remember what the next Big Drama Thing is I start screaming. So you guys are going to hate me in a few weeks, but that's fine.

- **momfriend** added  **djspookyjim** ,  **crybabydyke** ,  **bihalsey** , and  **bball_ace** to  **snapple fact!** -

 

**momfriend** : why is the chat still called snapple fact!

**fuckchristmas** : uh because i’m hilarious and there are a lot of cool facts about snapple

**bihalsey** : is this usually how the chat works

**momfriend** : unfortunately yes

**momfriend** : im sorry u four came in late because these guys are… something else

**satan’s gf** : wow i finally get on my phone after literally three hours of church and there are new people in the chat

**satan’s gf** : this is what i get for missing gsa hello assholes i’m brendon and i’m a hot mess

**bihalsey** : i’m ashley and i think im the only new person on here so far

**bihalsey** : why were u at church on a monday? tyler and josh are religious and even they don’t go to church that often

**satan’s gf** : my parents are assholes and they think im going to hell bc i spent the night at a “non-christian house”

**momfriend** : ...do your parents not like catholics or something? because the ways are Hella Catholic

**satan’s gf** : look if i could understand my parents’ thought process i wouldn’t be sneaking out all the time

**fuckchristmas** : true. also why the fuck do they let u use ur phone but not let you leave the house??? my parents can get shitty too but they always take my phone before anything else

**satan’s gf** : i honestly think they just dont know anything about phones/social media and at this point im too afraid to ask

**satan’s side ho** : Brendon’s parents don’t even have Facebook. 

**bihalsey** : oh shit

**bihalsey** : ur lucky that way my parents are trying to be hip and cool by having instagrams

**bihalsey** : obviously i’ve blocked them they dont need to see me with my tiddys out

**momfriend** : no offense but arent u like 15

**bihalsey** : yeah

**bihalsey** : im not like naked i’ve just posted cleavage pics before its nbd

**satan’s gf** : i wish i had cleavage

**bihalsey** : i mean u’ll get it eventually right

**satan’s gf** : ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : guess who didn’t fuckin die

**p_wheezie** : hey frank

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : o shit ur back when did that happen

**p_wheezie** : uh like a week ago idk time isn’t real

**p_wheezie** : congrats on not dying?

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : thanks

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ok who the fuck are the new people

**p_wheezie** : some friends i made in drama and they’re all gay too

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : rad

**djspookyjim** : pete u weren’t kidding when u said the chat never shuts up

**djspookyjim** : also hi frank i’m josh 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : are you actually a dj

**djspookyjim** : unfortunately no i am not i’ve never touched a record in my life

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : oh man u are missing out when im not in the hospital and lowkey dying from mono and strep i’m gonna kidnap u and we can listen to my vinyls together it’ll be rad

**djspookyjim** : i mean what kind of music are u into

**p_wheezie** : frank and i have similar music tastes but frank likes punk bands that cant sing

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ok

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i was gonna invite u too since u like some of the same stuff i do

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : but then u come into my house

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : u insult my jersey bands

**p_wheezie** : JERSEY SUCKS FRANKLIN

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : what the fuck did u say about me you little bitch i’ll have u kno…… (idk the rest and i’m too tired to go find it)

**djspookyjim** : ok so before u two start actually fighting in a group chat here’s a concept

**djspookyjim** : music battle

**djspookyjim** : kind of like what happened in the get down where the get down brothers and the notorious three have a dj-off

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’m gonna be entirely honest with u

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i have no idea what u just said

**djspookyjim** : dude ur in a hospital right

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : yeah

**djspookyjim** : pull up netflix right now and watch the get down its so good and there’s only like 6 episodes so far so its not that big of a commitment

**p_wheezie** : josh has been trying to make me watch it since we started hanging out i think it’s his Thing

**djspookyjim** : listen it’s good

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ok but i don’t have a netflix

**djspookyjim** : hold on i’ll dm u mine

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : peter. peter listen to me. marry this dude. he gives people his netflix passwords

**p_wheezie** : frank im 16

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i will be the best man at your wedding

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i’ll cry at the ceremony and give a beautiful drunken speech at the reception it’ll be great i promise

**p_wheezie** : dont get ahead of yourself it was just a netflix password

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : DONT LOSE HIM

**djspookyjim** : pete and i arent even dating yet

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : yet?????????????????

**djspookyjim** : yeah i’ve only known him for like two weeks it’d be weird

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : well good luck with that then let me know if there’s gonna be a wedding because i would totally go

**p_wheezie** : frank if i could i would remove u from the chat

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i think u can but please dont this is my only source of entertainment until the nurse comes and i can get her to set up netflix

 

**hatrick** : that was a lot

**hatrick** : but @ frank welcome back 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ive been watching the get down and josh was right its so good

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : someone come remix all the against me stuff into a get down show please

**bball_ace** : josh whyd u give ur netflix to someone else i thought we were friends

**djspookyjim** : we are but frank is dying

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : im actually not dying

**bball_ace** : u have ruined this friendship for no reason how could u

**djspookyjim** : ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**zoid** : i’m glad you’ve discovered our stash of memes but are u aware of the Sin Jar

**djspookyjim** : sounds bad

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : yea if u say a bad meme u have to put a dollar in the jar

**zoid** : there’s not a list or anything but you’ll know a bad meme when you see it

**bball_ace** : can we opt out of it?

**zoid** : nope once you’re in the group chat you’re a part of this hell

**zoid** : also mikeys a part of this hell even though they’re not in the chat right now

**zoid** : they can’t escape

**djspookyjim** : why isn’t mikey in the chat

**zoid** : too much drama they have anxiety

**bball_ace** : ah that sucks i have anxiety too… it’s the worst

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : me, laying in a hospital bed with inflamed lungs and an iv strapped to my arm: yeah anxiety must fuckin suck

**zoid** : frank im gonna come to the hospital and break ur nose

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : kinky

**zoid** : IM A LESBIAN

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ya but i’m still into getting punched in the face

**hatrick** : i went to use the bathroom and this is what i miss i hate everyone

**zoid** : patrick has a piss kink

**hatrick** : SHUT

**hatrick** : I DO NOT

**bball_ace** : guys that’s really gross don’t piss on people

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : too late i’m already pissing on the heads of every congress person who says i cant use the dude’s bathroom

**djspookyjim** : why wouldn’t u be able to use the guy’s bathroom if you’re a guy

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : see peter this guy gets it u should marry him

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : also i’m trans and cis people are the Worst when it comes to trans stuff.. like i just wanna pee don’t make this complicated

**djspookyjim** : oh

**djspookyjim** : i don’t really get trans stuff sorry

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : its ok, if ur ever transphobic or say something shitty i’ll just punch u in the face to let u know u done fucked up

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : FOR WHAT

**zoid** : “u done fucked up” frank ur white

**hatrick** : also let’s not punch the new guys esp if they’re /trying/ to not be assholes

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ok but if spencer can get it then there’s no excuse for anyone else

**hatrick** : spencer is an outlier

**bball_ace** : spencer is one of the people dallon’s dating right? he said he was dating two people

**zoid** : they

**bball_ace** : ??

**zoid** : dallon’s pronouns are they/them

**bball_ace** : sorry

**bball_ace** : but are they dating spencer? i wasn’t really sure polyamory is interesting but totally new to me

**p_wheezie** : yeah dallon, spencer, and brendon are all dating

**p_wheezie** : they’re all pretty cute together

**hatrick** : i mean they better be after all the drama they caused before they got their shit together and started dating

**p_wheezie** : ok

**p_wheezie** : but lowkey part of that was my fault

**hatrick** : ??? i mean other than ryan what did u do

**p_wheezie** : brendon and i made out at homecoming before all the shit went down. idk maybe i rustled her jimmies or whatever

**zoid** : okay first of all never say that again

**zoid** : second: dollar in the jar

 

- **p_wheezie** changed the name of the group to  **rustle your jimmies** -

 

**zoid** : blocked

**hatrick** : pete why are we friends

**djspookyjim** : this groupchat is wild.

**zoid** : u have no idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	56. Gabe Saporta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have accidentally spelled Gabe's name as "Saporty" instead of "Saporta" more times than I can keep track of. So if you see a Gabe Saporty at any point in this fic, I'm sorry, I'm bad at catching spelling mistakes.
> 
> (PS: Gabe is bi-gender and uses he/she pronouns, kind of like Patrick)

“How’s the comic going?” Mikey asked Gee. The two of them were down in the basement, not working on schoolwork even though it was a Wednesday and they were going to get dragged off to church soon. 

 

“It’s… I posted the first chapter on the blog we made, and I think people like it,” Gee said. She turned around in her chair to face Mikey. There were three mugs sitting on her desk, all of them empty and smelling of coffee. Mikey was pretty sure Gee would smoke down here too if their parents weren’t constantly coming down to check on them. 

 

Mikey crawled over their mattress and then Gee’s to get to Gee’s desk and peer over their shoulder. “Oh, shit, that’s awesome. Can you send me the link so I can post it on my twitter? I’ve got a lot more followers there than on tumblr.”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Gee said. She reached for a coffee cup and then frowned when she realised that it was empty. Gee gently placed the cup back on her desk, patting the top of it with the tips of her fingers. “We should get a coffeemaker for down here. I’m tired of having to go upstairs every time I want more coffee.”

 

“Good luck getting mom to agree on that,” Mikey said. 

 

At that exact moment, their mom knocked on the door to their room, and Mikey was convinced that she had some kind of psychic ability. Mikey called out, letting her know that they and Gee were almost ready, and she opened the door. She was obviously ready to go to the Wednesday night stuff, and she was giving Mikey and Gee the disappointed look. “We’re about to leave. You two need to get your shoes on.”

 

“Yes, mom,” the two siblings said at the same time. 

 

“And Gee,” she said, her eyes landing on the coffee mugs scattered around her daughter’s desk. “Please bring up your dirty dishes. I don’t want you to be drawing bugs down here.”

 

“Mom, it’s January,” Gee said. “There aren’t any bugs that are still alive.”

 

Their mom raised her eyebrows. Gee nodded, and started grabbing coffee mugs. Their mom didn’t even have to say anything. Gee just knew that she’d lost that argument. 

 

Mikey didn’t comment on it. They just grabbed their shoes and put them on, and then started digging around for a jacket, because it was cold outside and they didn’t want to freeze their ass off on the way to church. They sniffed the jacket before putting it on and turning the collar up so that their neck wouldn’t get cold. Their hair was long enough that it went past their chin, but it wasn’t long enough that they could go without a scarf or some other kind of neck protection. 

 

They headed upstairs and fucked around on twitter for a few minutes before Gee came up from the basement and their mom and Lena came down from upstairs. Apparently their dad was still at work and wasn’t going to be riding to the church with the rest of the Way family. 

 

Ray and Frank were sitting at the soundbooth when Gee and Mikey joined them with their pizza and sodas. Mikey also had a pack of Sour Patch Kids that they were going to save for later because they fucking loved Sour Patch Kids and they hadn’t had any in a while. Mikey grabbed a chair and pulled it up on the other side of Frank, so that Gee couldn’t sit next to him. They popped open the tab on their Sprite. “So, you’re out of the hospital now. When did that happen?”

 

“Yesterday,” Frank whispered. His voice was raspy, and he had a bag of cough drops in his lap. “I’m still sick but my mom can’t afford to keep me in the hospital. So, I’m out.”

 

Mikey frowned. “That sucks. I’m sorry. I can smuggle you some Advil or whatever if you need it.”

 

“Mikey, no drug dealing,” Ray said. Mikey subtly flipped her off behind the sound booth table so that the youth leaders wouldn’t see them doing anything. Ray stuck her tongue out, and turned back to whatever she was doing on the laptop. She looked up over the top of the screen, and her eyes widened. “Wait, is that…?”

 

Mikey followed Ray’s line of vision in time to see Spencer and Gabe Saporta strutting in through the doors. Gabe was even wearing shutter shades, which were neon green and very out of place considering they were walking into a room that hadn’t been updated since the 90’s. Spencer looked normal, though he’d gotten a haircut and it made him look really good. 

 

“I thought Spencer was grounded?” Mikey asked, messing with the tab on their Sprite until it snapped off. 

 

“And does Gabe even go here?” Gee asked, frowning. “I thought he was Jewish.”

 

“Well, he’s here now, so you can ask him yourself,” Ray said. She waved at the two of them, and Spencer waved back before turning and saying something to Gabe that Mikey couldn’t hear. There was Christian rock playing in the background and they were on the other side of the rather large room. It was hard to hear anyone other than Gee, Ray, and Frank. 

 

Spencer and Gabe came up to the sound booth. Gabe jumped up on the table and Ray immediately hurled a pencil at his head. Spencer stayed standing beside Mikey and leaned against the wall. “So, Mikey, I heard you know Gabe.”

 

“Unfortunately,” Mikey said, because they weren’t sure what else to do in the presence of Gabe Saporta. 

 

Gabe grinned, leaning back on the table and crossing his legs before tapping Mikey’s chin with his foot. “Missed you too, asshole. How long have you known Spence? I thought you just hung out with Gee and Ray.”

 

“And Lindsey,” Ray said. 

 

“She’s the one who flipped off a pastor once, right?” Gabe asked. He popped the tab of his drink off with his teeth and took a drink from it. “Because if so, that’s a big fucking mood.”

 

“Yeah, that was Lindsey. They’re still banned from here,” Gee said. She was watching Gabe closely, to see how Gabe would respond to Lindsey’s pronouns, but he just nodded and took another drink from his soda. Gee relaxed into her seat. “I’m surprised they were the only one of us to get banned, in all honesty. I was singing a song about sex, and we weren’t very Christian about it, even then.”

 

“Hey, at least you’re not lying about your spiritual beliefs to sneak your friend out of his house,” Gabe said. 

 

Ray frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

Gabe rolled his eyes. “I’m Jewish, dude. Spencer’s parents don’t know that, and I convinced them that I went here with you guys so that he could get out of his house for once. His parents and sisters are cool and all that, but, like, being stuck in one place sucks.”

 

“They’re not that bad,” Spencer said. “I mean, they think my moral compass or whatever is still in place, even though I’m not out yet. I can’t imagine how they’d react, being Catholic and all that.”

 

“Your parents still have no idea about…” Ray started to say, and then stopped herself. None of them knew how much Gabe knew. Ray messed with something on the laptop. “You know. The stuff, with like Dallon and Brendon and whatever.”

 

“Dude, I know they’re all dating,” Gabe said. “Brendon and I have been friends for years. She keeps me up to date with all the things that happen at her school. She’s mentioned you guys a few times, too, but never anything bad.”

 

Mikey didn’t know how to react to that. Luckily, they didn’t have to, because their youth pastor came up to the sound booth to tell Gabe to get off the table and then to tell Ray that it was time to start. Ray nodded, and woke the laptop back up to start the countdown timer. Spencer and Gabe grabbed themselves some chairs and everyone crowded in together behind the sound booth. It was weird to have a bunch of people back here, because Mikey was used to it just being themself, Gee, and Ray. 

 

Gabe bumped his knee with theirs. “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” Mikey said back. Up at the front of the room, the youth pastor was leading everyone in a song. “What’s up?”

 

“I wanted to say sorry,” Gabe said. Mikey must have given him a strange look because he continued by saying, “for what happened with us back then. You were just a kid, and I mean… I was too but I’m two years older than you and I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that. And if you’re pissed at me, or never want to talk to me again, that’s cool. I was kind of a douche.”

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “Gabe, it’s fine. I knew what I was doing, and I’m not mad at you or anything.”

 

“You were thirteen, though. You were like… a fucking baby, and I let you… you know,” Gabe said, looking uncomfortable about discussing sucking dick in a church. Or maybe it was because it was Mikey who had sucked his dick, and he was reevaluating his life choices because of it. Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, I’m sure you’re mature and all that, but it’s kind of weird that I was doing sex stuff with a thirteen year old. You get that, right?”

 

“Yeah, but I’m telling you that what we did didn’t fuck me up,” Mikey said. “You didn’t permanently scar me, or make me sex obsessed or anything. If I was fucked up, it had nothing to do with you. You were just the person I had a huge crush on at the time, and I was trying too hard to be cool.”

 

“You’re oddly self aware,” Gabe said. He was relaxing, finally. Mikey had forgotten how good Gabe was at putting up a front of fake confidence, but it was nice to see him genuinely smiling and looking like he was enjoying himself.

 

Mikey shrugged. “A lot’s happened since we hung ot last. I don’t know how much Brendon’s told you, but there’s been a lot of shit hitting the fan.”

 

“I can imagine,” Gabe said. The two of them fell silent after that, and pretended to pay attention to what was going on. Mikey was still painfully aware of Gabe sitting beside them, and then Spencer on the other side of Gabe. They had no idea that Spencer and Gabe knew each other. That was just weird. 

 

After the service was over, the lights came back on and people started heading out. Mikey, Gabe, and their friends stayed back behind the sound booth, though. Mikey traded seats with Gabe so that Gabe could catch up with Ray and Gee and get to meet Frank. They turned away from the others to face Spencer. “I didn’t know you knew Gabe.”

 

“Yeah, he and Ryan went to the same after school program when they were younger,” Spencer said. “I’m surprised I never saw you or Gee at any of Gabe’s parties though. I thought you guys hung out with Gabe a lot.”

 

“Kind of,” Mikey said. “Gee and I are pretty anti-social. Gabe had to drag us to a lot of his parties, and sometimes we weren’t allowed to go because our parents would be acting all weird and restrictive for whatever reason.”

 

“Oh, man, that sucks,” Spencer said. He kicked at the leg of his chair. “Sorry I haven’t been around much. I think my parents are over-reacting because they don’t know what to do with a kid who actually breaks their rules.”

 

“Can’t relate,” Mikey said. “My mom keeps getting on Gee for smoking even though she and dad both smoke. It’s ridiculous.”

 

“My parents have maybe three rules for me, and I managed to break one and now they’re flipping their shit,” Spencer said. He looked a little proud of himself. He leaned back in his chair and went to push his bangs out of his face, only for his fingers to trail through nothing because of how his hair was styled. Spencer stared at his hand for a moment, looking betrayed. “How the hell did I forget I got my hair cut?”

 

“Habit?” Mikey asked. 

 

Spencer shrugged. “Probably. Anyway, the second I get ungrounded, I’m taking Brendon and Dallon on a date. Like a real one, not just hanging out at my house and making out while we play Sims or whatever.”

 

“Dude, that’s awesome,” Mikey said, grinning. “I hope you three have fun and scare at least one old person by being super gay.”

 

Spencer winked and did finger guns at Mikey. “That’s the plan.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	57. don't sacrifice josh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this yesterday but my brother graduated from high school and then I had to deal with my homophobic grandparents so that was (not) fun. 
> 
> I'm proud of my brother but other than him, I don't really like my family.
> 
> Anyway, other than that, summer's been okay so far; enjoy the chapter!

**spooncer** : guess who’s back (ish) mother fuckers

**satan’s gf** : SPENCE

**spooncer** : what the fuck is your name

**satan’s gf** : oh yeah i forgot about that

**satan’s gf** : dallon did something shady a while back and then they and i changed our names to confuse you

**spooncer** : well you succeeded

**zoid** : well now that spencer’s back u and dallon can change ur names

**satan’s gf** : spencer hasn’t seen dallon’s name yet

**spooncer** : bren… u can see the names of the people in the chat

**satan’s gf** : shhh

**zoid** : wait spencer how Ungrounded are u

**spooncer** : i have my phone but i’m still banned to the house

**spooncer** : my parents just got tired of having to pick me up from school

**zoid** : u live. five minutes away. just fucking walk

**spooncer** : no 

**fuckchristmas** : lindsey its a 5 minute drive it’s a lot longer to walk

**zoid** : how do u know

**fuckchristmas** : bc pete and i had the brilliant idea last may to walk to spencer’s house on the last day of school to surprise him with silly string

**fuckchristmas** : i’m pretty sure we died on the way over it was so fucking hot

**zoid** : sounds like a personal problem

**zoid** : i’m a Goth and i don’t go out in the sun

 

**bball_ace** : why aren’t they separating us by section this is aphobic

**satan’s gf** : it’s because my range is all four fucking sections i cannot be contained

**satan’s side ho** : It’s true. Brendon’s range is ridiculous.

**p_wheezie** : ok but have u heard patrick

**p_wheezie** : his range? Hella 

**spooncer** : the only solution is they have a singing off

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : i call brendon as my wordsmith

**djspookyjim** : cool i wanted patrick

**satan’s gf** : what.

**satan’s gf** : what the fuck is a wordsmith and should i be scared

**djspookyjim** : watch the get down on nexflix

**bball_ace** : josh that should be ur name on here

**djspookyjim** : but tyler… djspookyjim is Iconic i can’t abandon him

**p_wheezie** : #keepjoshspooky

**djspookyjim** : thanks pete

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : why are you guys always texting when ur in rehearsal how do u get away with it

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : last semester i tried to text /once/ in band class and the director snatched my phone

**djspookyjim** : what instrument did u play

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : sax

**djspookyjim** : ok that’s probably why bc i was in percussion and i got away with texting like all the time

**bball_ace** : yeah, because u had drums hiding u from the director u cheater

**djspookyjim** : djcheaterjim

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**zoid** : and yes before anyone asks i was lurking

**satan’s side ho** : Lindsey confirmed as a God. 

**zoid** : hell yeah

**zoid** : also @ dallon do u wanna come over some time and work on music/bass stuff?

**p_wheezie** : wow ok i see how it is

**zoid** : shut the fuck up peter

**zoid** : i was gonna ask u next

**p_wheezie** : whoops

**satan’s side ho** : I can some over on Saturday since we don’t have rehearsal?

**zoid** : rad

**zoid** : pete r u good with that

**p_wheezie** : yeah

**p_wheezie** : is it cool if i bring andy just to hang

**zoid** : yeah sure

**p_wheezie** : sweet

 

**hatrick** : pete. give me my hat back i know u have it

**p_wheezie** : i swear i didn’t take it dude

**hurleyxvx** : it was me. i stole the hat

**hurleyxvx** : i am also wearing it while sitting under the bleachers with ray and lindsey we’re having a fun time

**hatrick** : andy what the fuck

**p_wheezie** : ur skipping class what the fuck 

**vampiregee** : wow @ ray and lindsey thanks for ditching me at lunch

**zoid** : u can join us babe

**vampiregee** : yeah but it’s sunny outside

**zoid** : it’s also cold so u won’t get all sweaty and gross

**vampiregee** : yeah ok i’ll come join u there are some angry looking cis dudes staring at me i forgot how gay i look

**p_wheezie** : i can come fight them for u

**p_wheezie** : wait i’ll send josh he’s taller than me and he’s just as scary looking

**bihalsey** : he has blue hair he’s not scary

**p_wheezie** : he has Angery Eyes

**crybabydyke** : ehh i’ve seen scarier

**p_wheezie** : listen fuckers. he’s a scary little dude and he’d frighten even the toughest of straight guys

**djspookyjim** : pete stop whoring me out as a bodyguard

**vampiregee** : u don’t have to protect me oh my god i can walk through school on my own in fact im doing it right now and i almost hit a wall

**p_wheezie** : if josh was there he could have directed u away from the wall

**vampiregee** : Wow My Knight In Shining Armour

**zoid** : josh i will fight u if you try to steal my gf

**djspookyjim** : IM ROMANTICALLY ATTRACTED TO GUYS

**djspookyjim** : PLEASE DONT KILL ME

**spooncer** : i’m really glad i checked my phone i might get to witness an actual murder

**djspookyjim** : i changed my mind i’m going back in the closet u guys all Suck

**spooncer** : wait no come back

**djspookyjim** : No

 

- **spooncer** changed the name of the group to  **don’t sacrifice josh** -

 

**p_wheezie** : lindsey if u need a sacrifice we can just bring u straight dudes

**zoid** : nice

**zoid** : ray andy gee and i can sacrifice them on the football field

**zoid** : carrie style

**hurleyxvx** : pretty sure thats not what happened in that book

**zoid** : i want everyone to know that he said that to me and /then/ posted it in the groupchat

**hurleyxvx** : is public shaming not allowed

**vampiregee** : no it is also where r u guys sitting

**hurleyxvx** : under the away team bleachers. ray’s doing homework… for whatever reason

**vampiregee** : Boring. i’ll b there soonish

 

**bihalsey** : this week was too long

**spooncer** : hard retweet

**crybabydyke** : literally it felt like a whole month happened

**spooncer** : the weekend’s going to be hell because guess who’s still on fucking house arrest

**spooncer** : me.

**satan’s gf** : have fun with that babe i’m going to dallon’s 

**spooncer** : ur always at dallon’s?

**satan’s gf** : yeah but their parents are out for some church thing ;)

**spooncer** : :((((

**spooncer** : why must u two hurt me like this

**bball_ace** : wait what does dallon’s parents not being home have to do with anything, i’m confused

**satan’s gf** : the three of us are dating

**satan’s gf** : spencer can’t come over

**satan’s gf** : but dal and i are gonna be in a house with no adult supervision *ayee*

**bball_ace** : okay

**bball_ace** : and?

**satan’s gf** : DAL AND I ARE GONNA FUKK!!!

**spooncer** : >(((

**satan’s gf** : aww don’t worry bb i’ll send u pictures

**crybabydyke** : can u guys not talk about that in the chat like… i have nothing against sex but like sending nudes and shit is lowkey gross

**crybabydyke** : esp since ur all underage

**satan’s gf** : i’m an illegal camgirl and i love it

**satan’s gf** : suck on my tiddy

**crybabydyke** : i’m good thanks

**satan’s gf** : that was @ spencer 

 

**satan’s gf** : hey @ gee r u on

**vampiregee** : just woke up from a depression nap what’s up

**satan’s gf** : is mikey with u

**vampiregee** : yeah????

**satan’s gf** : can u tell them to come over to dallon’s house we have Things to Discuss

**vampiregee** : sounds shady but ok

**satan’s gf** : i promise its not shady

**satan’s gf** : i just wanna hang out with mikey but i’m only allowed to go to dallon’s house so we have to meet up there

**vampiregee** : ok

**vampiregee** : i told them they’ll be there in like 10 minutes

**vampiregee** : bren?

**vampiregee** : what the fuck she was literally just here

**spooncer** : she’s at dallon’s house

**spooncer** : use ya brain

**vampiregee** : right. hopefully mikey won’t walk in on that

**spooncer** : there would probably be screaming if they did

**vampiregee** : yeah i can imagine

**vampiregee** : i’m just glad they’ve never walked in on me

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! 
> 
> Also, I remade my tumblr @jonwalkerpng if you want to follow me!


	58. Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have... Until She Gets Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm satan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not to distract from all the Mile Marker 17 stuff, but here's a nohic chapter! Yay! More chaos! No one knows anything! I've had too much coffee!

Gee was asleep and Mikey was working on the essay they had do for World History. The essay wasn’t due until Monday, and it was only Friday afternoon, but Mikey was in the mood to work on school shit, so they weren’t wasting the opportunity. 

 

Gee shifted around in her sleep, muttering something that sounded vaguely depressing. Mikey frowned. Gee’d been getting worse, and Mikey had caught her carrying around a bottle of pills a few days ago, but they didn’t know what to do about it. They were afraid to get their parents involved, because their parents might put Gee in the hospital and then Gee would hate Mikey because Gee fucking hated hospitals. 

 

“Hey, Mikey,” Gee said groggily. Mikey jumped. They thought their sister was still asleep. Gee rolled over to face Mikey and prop herself up on her elbow. “Brendon and Dallon invited you over to Dallon’s house. Apparently it’s important, but Brendon won’t tell me what it is.”

 

Mikey pushed their glasses up their nose. Knowing Brendon, it could be anything. “Should I go over?”

 

“I’d say yeah,” Gee said. “That way you at least know what Brendon’s doing.”

 

“Good point. I’ll go get mom,” Mikey said. They grabbed their shoes and a hoodie and headed up the basement stairs to go find their mom. She was on her computer in the kitchen, with an abandoned cup of coffee beside her. She closed it when she saw Mikey, which was pretty suspicious. Mikey didn’t comment on it. They dropped into the chair opposite of her. “Hey, I know this is last minute, but Dallon and Brendon invited me over. It’s Friday, and I’ve been working on my homework for the weekend already. Can I go?”

 

“Yes, sure, let me just grab my keys,” she said. 

 

That was weird. Mikey wasn’t going to question it, though, because they liked getting to get out of the house and see their friends, now that they actually had friends. Mikey sat down and put their shoes on while their mom grabbed her car keys, and then followed her out of the house. 

 

“You're going to have to direct me, I don't think I've been to either of your friends houses,” she said as they backed down the driveway. She handed her phone over to Mikey so that they could plug in Dallon’s address and give her directions, and they did. It wasn’t a long drive, and when they got there, Mikey was worried that Dallon and Brendon wouldn’t be ready for them and they’d have to sit around awkwardly. 

 

“Are you going to get out?” their mom asked. 

 

Mikey nodded. “Yeah, sorry. Um, I’ll text you whenever we’re done?”

 

“Don’t stay out too late,” she said. Mikey nodded, and got out of the car, heading up the driveway to Dallon’s front door. Dallon’s mom opened it a few moments later. She was dressed in a paint stained apron, and her hair was tied up in a bandana. 

 

She smiled down at Mikey. “You must be Dallon’s friend. He and Brendon are upstairs, I’ll take you up there.”

 

Mikey opened their mouth, to say that they were fine and that they could find Dallon’s room on their own, but Dallon’s mom was already ushering them inside and towards the stairs. 

 

Dallon’s mom knocked on a door that had two matching, cloud-shaped name plates taped to it. Moms were weird, and Mikey wondered why Dallon and their brother hadn’t taken their names down from the door. “Dallon, your friend Mikey is here.”

 

Mikey heard some scuffling from the other side of the door, and Dallon and Brendon whispering at each other. The door flung open to reveal Dallon, their cheeks bright red and their hair sticking up in every direction. Their shirt was uneven and their jeans were awkwardly low on their hips. Brendon was sitting on the bed with her legs to her chest, lips swollen, and looking at anything that wasn’t Mikey or Dallon’s mom. Dallon leaned against the doorframe, trying, and failing, to look casual. “Hey, Mikey, you got here faster than I expected.”

 

“Yeah, my mom was already ready to go when I asked her to drive me here. It was weird,” Mikey said, looking up at Dallon. They really hoped that Dallon’s mom was clueless as to what her child and their “friend” had been doing. 

 

“Well, you three have fun doing whatever it is teenagers do these days,” Dallon’s mom said. She didn’t sound accusatory, so Mikey was pretty sure she was clueless. “Dallon, remember to keep your door open since you have a girl up here now.”

 

“Mom,” Dallon started, but their mom made the mom face and they clamped their mouth shut. 

 

“Mikey, Brendon, did either of you two want something before I went back to my art class?” she asked. “I’ve got lemonade, Chex Mix, a few leftover Gatorades…”

 

“I’m good,” Mikey said, and Brendon nodded in agreement, still not making eye contact with anyone. Dallon’s mom left them alone after that, and Dallon pulled them into their bedroom before leaning out into the hall to make sure that their mom was out of sight. After they were sure she was gone, they turned around to face Mikey. 

 

“Do you mind if Brendon and I go to the bathroom for a sec?” Dallon asked. “We’ll be right back, I promise.”

 

“Yeah, sure” Mikey said, not looking either of them in the eye. “I’ll… um, where can I sit?”

 

“The bed’s clean,” Brendon said, and then started getting up. Mikey made sure to sit on the opposite end of the bed anyway, in case something had gotten in the sheets that Mikey didn’t want to touch. They didn’t care that Brendon and Dallon were having sex, because they were dating and there was nothing wrong with sex. Mikey just didn’t want to touch their friends’ cum. 

 

Brendon and Dallon came back from the bathroom a few minutes later, looking more put together. They cuddled up against each other on the other end of the bed, with Brendon lounging between Dallon’s legs and Dallon’s arms wrapped around her waist. Mikey kicked their shoes off and pulled their legs up onto the mattress. “Why’d you have Gee tell me to come over?”

 

Brendon glanced up at Dallon for a moment before answering. “So, um, first of all Dallon knows about you and Pete. Second, I don’t know if you and Pete ended things, but they seem to think so and so now they’re going after that Josh guy in drama as some kind of rebound, revenge sex. I think.”

 

Ah, great. So Pete really was cheating on Patrick again. Really, if the relationship sucked so badly that Pete couldn’t go a month without picking up someone on the side, they should just break up with Patrick. Not that Mikey was one for life advice. “I know Pete and I are over. I ended it before Christmas break.”

 

Brendon blinked. “Oh. You’ve been single that long? I had no idea.”

 

“Pete and I were never a couple, Brendon,” Mikey said. They weren’t sure why they hadn’t told Brendon about ending things with Pete, because Brendon always knew what was going on, one way or another. They bit at their nail. “We couldn’t be, because Pete’s dating Patrick and Patrick didn’t know about me. And she probably doesn’t know about Josh, either.”

 

Brendon and Dallon gave Mikey identical confused looks. Dallon said, “Patrick and Pete aren’t dating.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I’m sure,” Dallon said. 

 

“Shit,” Mikey said, closing their eyes for a moment as a rush of anger came over them. So Pete, instead of just telling Mikey that they were single, had led them to believe that they were the side fling. What an ass. Their throat was clenching up, the way it tended to do right before they started crying, and Mikey tightened their jaw. They didn’t want to cry in front of Dallon and Brendon. That would be embarrassing. 

 

“I’m sorry, Mikey,” Dallon said softly. Something about their voice and the way they said it, like it was Dallon’s fault Pete was an asshole, made Mikey burst into tears. They hid it by crawling over and curling up beside Brendon, burying their face in her shoulder. They needed the comfort. 

 

Fuck Pete. Fuck Pete, and their new boyfriend. And fuck Patrick too, kind of, for existing and for not saying shit about shit. 

 

Brendon ran her hand through Mikey’s hair, gently, and Dallon wrapped their arm around Mikey’s shoulders.  _ It isn’t all bad _ , they were saying silently. Mikey rubbed their face under their glasses, and laid their head back down on Brendon’s shoulder. “So is that why you asked me to come over? To tell me about Pete?”

 

“No, actually, there’s another thing. You remember Gabe Saporta, right?” Brendon asked. Of course Mikey remembered Gabe. They’d seen him literally less than a week ago, and they’d gotten his snapchat so that they could send each other pictures of their cats. 

 

Mikey looked up at Brendon, a little worried about what Brendon was going to make him do. “What’d you make Gabe do?”

 

“I didn’t make him do anything,” Brendon said. Apparently, she’d also been in touch with Gabe, and the two of them had come up with a fake dating plan, where Gabe showed up as Mikey’s datemate to freak Pete out and make them feel like an idiot for letting Mikey go. Which they were, because Mikey would have made a great datemate if Pete hadn’t been all weird about it. 

 

“I’ll do it,” Mikey said, nodding when Brendon and Dallon had finished explaining things. “I’ll pretend to date Gabe to make Pete feel like shit.”

 

“Sweet,” Brendon said, ruffling Mikey’s hair. “I’ll set everything up with Gabe, and let you know when the two of you are supposed to be dating, and then you can start acting like you’ve got a datemate and get Pete’s attention. The rest is up to you and Gabe.”

 

Mikey nodded. They rubbed at their face again, and settled back against Brendon and Dallon. The two of them were comfortable to lay against, and Mikey was starting to feel exhausted. Brendon let out a sigh and leaned her head up against Dallon’s neck. This was good. 

 

“Now what?” Dallon said quietly, not wanting to disrupt the mood. 

 

“Wanna play Sims?” Brendon asked. Dallon nodded, and gently pushed both of them off so that they could get their laptop from under their bed. Brendon rearranged the pillows so that the three of them could all sit at the head of Dallon’s bed, and then claimed the middle seat so that she got control of the game. 

 

Currently, Sim Patrick was attempting to cook, but the kitchen was on fire again. Brendon swore under her breath and started clicking things to put the fire out. 

 

“Why did we make Patrick clumsy again?” Brendon muttered. 

 

“Because she is,” Dallon said. “Also we should put the ladder back in the pool so that Joe and Lindsey don’t drown.”

 

“Oh, shit, I forgot we did that,” Brendon said, and moved around to the back of the house. It had expanded since Mikey last saw it, and there was a third floor now, complete with a patio. The pool was also bigger now, and Sim Lindsey and Sim Joe were still swimming in it, looking distressed. Brendon put in a ladder, and saved the two Sims. 

 

The three of them ended up messing around with the Sim versions of their friends for two hours until Dallon’s mom came up and knocked, saying that she was about to start dinner, and wanted to know who was staying. 

 

“I’m gonna call my mom,” Mikey said. “Thanks, though, for the offer.”

 

“Alright,” she said. “Brendon? Are you staying?”

 

“I guess?” Brendon said, rubbing her finger across the screen. Dallon’s mom nodded, and left the room with the door wide open. Dallon rolled their eyes and got up to go pull the door so that it was mostly closed. Mikey borrowed Brendon’s phone to call their mom and tell her they were ready to go home, and then the three of them went back to the Sims for the fifteen minutes it took for Mikey’s mom to arrive. 

 

“See you tomorrow,” Dallon said at the base of the stairs. “And tell Gee I said hi.”

 

“I will,” Mikey said, giving Dallon a fake salute before walking out the door and jogging up to their mom’s car. She was smoking, but put her cigarette out when Mikey got in. Mikey didn’t understand their mom’s smoking habits, but it wasn’t really their problem. 

 

Mikey’s mom pulled into the garage, and the two of them went their seperate ways. Mikey’s mom headed upstairs, probably to start on dinner or go back to whatever she did when Mikey and Gee weren’t around, and Mikey headed towards their room. 

 

They felt weird. They were angry, and bitter, and almost shaking with rage about Pete. They’d lied to Mikey, or at least led Mikey on, and that was fucking gross. And now they were just fine, and flirting with some other guy like they hadn’t just messed with Mikey’s emotions for months. On the other hand, Mikey felt weirdly calm and happy after spending a few hours just messing around with Dallon and Brendon. They’d missed hanging out with their friends, and not having to worry about any drama. 

 

Mikey reached out and turned the doorknob, opening the door to their bedroom and walking in without paying much attention. 

 

“Oh shit,” said Frank from where he was laying under Gee on her bed. Gee flipped her hair over her shoulder and her eyes widened. They were both naked, except for Frank’s binder, which was still on his chest. Gee had a bite mark on her shoulder. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Mikey asked, instead of the better question. “Wait. Why are you fucking my sister? Frank, what the fuck?”

 

“I, um,” Frank said. 

 

“Gee, you have a  _ girlfriend _ !” Mikey hissed, closing the door. Even though they were pissed at Gee and Frank, they weren’t about to out their sister to their parents. “What the fuck are you doing? How--how long has this even been going on?”

 

“Mikey, it’s not what it looks like, I  _ swear _ ,” Gee said, and Mikey realised she was drunk. The room smelled like weed, too, and it was almost overwhelming now that Mikey was paying attention. Mikey felt like they were about to throw up. Not from the smell of the weed, or the fact that their sister was drunk, but because she was cheating on Lindsey, for no reason, and Frank was cool with it. 

 

“Frank, get out,” Mikey said. Their voice was strangely calm. Frank nodded, and wiggled out from under Gee, holding his pants over his crotch so that he wasn’t flashing Mikey more than he already had. Mikey stood in front of the door with their arms crossed over their chest while Frank got dressed and Gee curled back up in her bed. Mikey would deal with Gee later. They had to get Frank the fuck out, first.

 

Mikey pushed Frank out of the bedroom and then glared him down in the hallway between the bedroom and the garage. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re sleeping with my sister!”

 

“I didn’t mean to, okay, it just…” Frank ran his hands through his hair. His eyes were tinged with red and Mikey knew it wasn’t from crying. Assholes, the both of them. Frank squeezed his eyes shut. “Gee initiated it, okay? And I should have said no, or stopped her, but I don’t know… I just. I really like her, and I knew it was wrong but I did it anyway, and I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t know what you’d think--”

 

“You think I’m pissed because you kept it a secret from me?” Mikey said, holding back their desire to start screaming at Frank because their mom and grandma were upstairs and the walls weren’t soundproof. “Frank, Lindsey’s my fucking  _ friend _ , and you’re screwing their girlfriend. I don’t care if you and Gee are fucking soulmates, bound by some ancient prophecy or some shit! You don’t hurt my friends, and you don’t fuck my friends girlfriends, no matter who they are! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

 

“Oh, like you’re so innocent in all of this,” Frank said, rolling his eyes. “At least I paid attention to Gee when she felt like shit. You were too wrapped up in your shit with Pete and Brendon and all that to even notice she was fucked up!”

 

“Don’t make this about me,” Mikey snapped. “And don’t you  _ dare _ imply that you know more about my sister than I do. I know she’s messed up, and I know she’s having a hard time, but I can’t do fucking anything about it because guess what, Frank? I’m fourteen and I know I can’t save everyone.”

 

“You should at least try, you ass!” Frank spat. He raised his hands like he was about to start shaking Mikey, or maybe punch them, but instead threaded his hands through his hair and turned around dramatically, half hunched over. He let out a small scream and turned back around, his hair now sticking up in various directions. He took a deep breath. “You can’t tell anyone, okay? I won’t… I’ll stop hanging out with Gee alone, I’ll get someone else to help me with math, it’s whatever. Just… keep it between us.”

 

“I can’t,” Mikey said, because they really couldn’t. Lindsey was going to find out eventually, and Mikey didn’t want to hurt them more than necessary. And they already knew that Ray was aware, because they’d overheard Frank and Ray’s conversation on New Year’s. Mikey pulled out their phone. “Frank, I’m sorry, but we can’t keep hiding shit anymore.”

 

Frank went pale. “What are you doing?”

 

“I’m telling Lindsey. Sorry, Frank, but they have to know,” Mikey said. They sighed, and then, for the first time in a month, they opened up kik.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment/kudos instead of killing me, please.


	59. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tag yourself, I'm a horrible human being who only brings pain. But seriously, there's gonna be some drama/angst in the next few chapters, and it's going to be constant for a while. Sorry mates.

Gee and Mikey didn’t speak at all the next morning. The car ride was awkward, and Mikey was regretting their actions, but they couldn’t go back on it. Lindsey was pissed, obviously, but they’d apparently been PM-ing Gee about it, so at least they hadn’t just blocked Gee and moved on. 

 

Mikey put their earbuds in and went to the drama room instead of Mr. Armstrong’s room because they were afraid that Frank would be there and they didn’t know how to deal with him. Frank had left as soon as Mikey sent the message, but Mikey didn’t know how he’d gotten back home. They didn’t ask. Frank hadn’t left the group chat, and neither had Gee, but neither of them had said anything since Mikey told the group chat what was going on. 

 

Looking back on it, Mikey probably should have just told Lindsey, and not announced it to their entire friend group. Again, though, they couldn’t go back in time and change things, and it was probably easier for everyone to know what was going on so that they didn’t ask any questions and make things awkward. 

 

Unsurprisingly, Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer were all in the drama room when Mikey got there. They were sitting on the floor, instead of in chairs, and Brendon was laying in Spencer’s lap with her eyes closed and her feet tangled around Dallon’s legs. Spencer was carding his fingers through her hair when Mikey approached, and put a finger to his mouth to let Mikey know that Brendon was, somehow, asleep. 

 

“She okay?” Mikey whispered, slightly concerned. 

 

Dallon shook their head. “Not really. She and her dad got in an argument last night and he threatened to kick her out.”

 

Mikey made a face. “That’s shitty.  _ Did  _ she get kicked out?”

 

“Not yet,” Spencer whispered. He looked pissed, which made sense. His girlfriend had shitty parents, and he couldn’t do much about it. None of them could. That was what sucked about being a teenager. Mikey was aware of all the issues in the world, and all the shit their friends dealt with, but they were still powerless to change anything. They, and their friends, were all minors, and no one took minors seriously. 

 

“Brendon can sleep on my couch if she needs to,” Mikey offered, because it was all they had. They didn’t know if their parents would be okay with it, but they didn’t care. Brendon was their friend, and they weren’t going to let her be homeless just because her parents sucked. 

 

“I already offered her mine,” Spencer said. “She said she was fine, but…”

 

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. The  _ But I’m still worried _ was implied. Mikey reached out and squeezed Spencer’s arm gently, because they kind of sucked at reassurance and they weren’t sure what else to do. 

 

The four of them sat on the floor and didn’t say much, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. There was plenty of entertainment, because the other drama kids were ridiculous and loud, and Mikey was impressed that Brendon was able to sleep through all of it. Spencer only woke her up when the bell rang, and then the four of them gathered their stuff and walked out together. Dallon and Brendon went down one hall and Spencer and Mikey went down another, because their classes were in opposite directions. 

 

Spencer stopped Mikey on the stairs, putting a hand on their shoulder. “Hey, um, not to be intrusive, but what’s up with the whole Frank thing? Are Lindsey and Gee done, or…?”

 

Mikey sighed. “Honestly? I don’t know. Gee and I haven’t even talked since I told Lindsey, and I haven’t seen them since before everyone knew, so I’m as clueless as you are. It fucking sucks, though, watching this. I kind of wish I hadn’t said anything.”

 

“Trust me,” Spencer said. “You did the right thing.”

 

Mikey frowned for a moment, not sure how Spencer could be so sure of himself when he wasn’t the one who’d done it. Then, Mikey remembered.  _ Homecoming _ . Spencer’d been in Lindsey’s position before, so he knew how it felt. However, Spencer had ended up back with Dallon and Brendon, so it wasn’t like his entire relationship was ruined by Dallon cheating. Lindsey and Gee might be different, and it might all be Mikey’s fault. 

 

Spencer put his hands on Mikey’s shoulders. “Hey, listen, I know you’ve got anxiety and all that shit, and so this probably won’t mean anything, but don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s not your fault, and if you ever need to scream, I’m here. Also, if Lindsey needs someone to vent to, I’m also here for them. Shared experience, and all that.”

 

Mikey smiled a little. “I’ll let them know. Thanks, Spence.”

 

Spencer ruffled Mikey’s hair and gave them finger guns before rushing back down the stairs. Mikey rolled their eyes. Spencer had just gone up half a staircase for no reason. Mikey plugged their earbuds back in and headed up the stairs to Mr. Armstrong’s class, running a little when they realised they had less than a minute before the bell rang. 

 

They slid into their seat as it was ringing, and got a sarcastic thumbs up from where Mr. Armstrong was passing out the quiz. Mikey’d forgotten that there was a quiz, but luckily it was over trade in East Asia, which was something Mikey knew about, so they didn’t fail entirely. Their essay section was weak, but it was okay because they’d never been great at essays in the first place. 

 

They finished their quiz with about fifteen minutes left in the class period, so they pulled out their phone and checked kik. They still hadn’t read all the messages they’d missed for the entirety of January, but that was fine. They were sure that, if anything super important had happened, one of their friends would have filled them in on it. 

 

**bihalsey** : omg guys have u seen lindsey

**bihalsey** : not to start more drama or anything but like. oh man i am so bi.

**djspookyjim** : what would your qpp think

**bihalsey** : i’ve already snapped lynn a picture she’s aware and just as gay

**zoid** : while i appreciate the compliments i don’t think i’d date either of u

**zoid** : nothing personal u two are just like… actual children and i’m almost 18

**zoid** : it’d be weird

**bihalsey** : im 15 and lynn’s almost 14 shh

**zoid** : babies.

**momfriend** : actual babies

**momfriend** : also lynz what’d you do to make two children Hyper Gay

**fuckchristmas** : impromptu makeover scene

**fuckchristmas** : the trohmobile is great for that kind of shit

**momfriend** : u turned them into a minivan

**fuckchristmas** : no??? we went to the mall and lindsey’s blonde now

**momfriend** : o shit nice

**mieky** : wait what. ur blonde??? why 

**zoid** : why not? im hot AF and i look like i own a business and kill bitches on the side

**fuckchristmas** : goals tbh

**zoid** : joe literally yesterday u said your dream Looke ™ was a distressed art history major

**fuckchristmas** : ok but im the art history major that interns at ur assassin lawyer firm so like… two birds one stone

**djspookyjim** : can u be a lawyer and an assassin?

**zoid** : if ur me u can

**bihalsey** : not to be gay but #goals

**zoid** : thank u

**zoid** : feel free to bleach your hair and look like u killed a fucker anytime

**fuckchristmas** : i knew i should have never gone back to brown

**zoid** : u two both have short hair we can use the same bottle it’ll be fine

**momfriend** : no angry gay bleaching

 

The bell rang, and Mikey stuffed their phone into the pocket before sprinting out of the classroom and to their next class so that they could continue avoiding Frank. Lunch was going to suck, because now they couldn’t sit with Pete  _ or _ Frank, and they didn’t think that Joe, Patrick, or Andy would choose them over the other two. 

 

Mikey was fucked. They’d done the right thing, in the long run, but for now they were fucked. At least Dallon, Brendon, and Spencer were still talking to them. At least they hadn’t lost all of their friend in this. 

 

They walked into gym class dreading everything. Even though they were back in the group chat, they were still ignoring Pete, except now they were irritated while doing it. Pete had been lying to them about Patrick this whole time, and now he had the audacity to smile up at Mikey as Mikey walked over to the bleachers to take their seat beside him. Mikey turned away, choosing to talk to Brendon instead. 

 

Brendon was better than Pete, anyway.

 

They were doing team sports that day, which sucked because it was still too cold to go outside and do anything there. It was volleyball, and so the class got split up into four different teams since there were too many people for just two. Mikey ended up on the same team as Joe, but no one else that they knew. Spencer and Pete’s team was first up, against the team that didn’t have anyone relevant on it. 

 

Brendon slid over to Mikey and Joe. “We’re gonna kick your ass.”

 

“No you’re not,” Joe said. “We’ve got Mikey. They’re tall.”

 

“I’ve never played volleyball in my life,” Mikey said, just to clear things up. 

 

Joe shook aer head. “Okay, nevermind, you’re probably going to win. Mikey, please don’t get hit in the face.”

 

“No promises,” Mikey said. They weren’t very coordinated, and they hated sports. They’d try to play for Joe’s sake, though, and so that Coach G didn’t yell at them for slacking off. She was one of those people who thought that high school gym class could actually affect someone’s health. 

 

Coach G blew her whistle, and the teams traded off. Brendon grinned and slid her finger across her neck at Joe and Mikey, but Mikey saw the facade fall as Brendon turned away from them. Her shoulders were tense and she was curled in on herself. She was scared. Mikey wished they could be on the same side as Brendon, at the very least, so that she wouldn’t feel alone. 

 

Mikey took a deep breath. They had Joe, and Spencer was sitting on the first row of bleachers, his eyes on Brendon. It’d be okay. Mikey just needed to focus on not getting hit in the face with the volleyball, and they’d make it out okay.

 

The ball was tossed into the air, and the game began. Mikey managed to avoid interacting with it by standing away from the net, but Joe had no problem getting up close and personal with the other players. Ae wasn’t exceptional, but ae scored aer and Mikey’s team a few points before shit got nasty.

 

One of the guy’s on Mikey’s side of the net was the spiker, and he had a personal vendetta against Brendon. Every time he spiked, he aimed the ball at her, and at one point, he clocked her right in the face. Brendon wobbled for a moment, like she was deciding if she wanted to fall over or not, and then collapsed onto the gym floor. 

 

Mikey stared at her, frozen and waiting for Brendon to get back up and laugh at everyone for getting scared. She didn’t. Spencer came down from the bleachers, appearing between his classmates like a pissed off angel breaking through the clouds. Spencer’s appearance pulled Mikey out of their trance, and they ran forward, ducking under the net. The sound came back on, and they could hear people talking and Coach G yelling at the guy who hit Brendon. 

 

Mikey dropped to their knees and skidded forward, stopping beside Spencer. They furrowed their eyebrows. “Is she okay?”

 

“I think, I don’t know,” Spencer said, his voice quiet against the echoing chaos of the gym. Coach G was beside him, then, gently pressing fingers to Brendon’s throat and temple. Brendon’s eyebrow was bleeding, and the skin on her eyelid was turning purple. Spencer’s hand moved by his side. “Do I… should I get the nurse?”

 

“I’ve already called,” Coach G said. “He looks fine, other than being knocked out. He was just hit at the right angle, that’s all.”

 

Spencer didn’t look any less worried. Mikey bit at their nail, wishing there was something they could do to make sure that Brendon was fine and that it was just a hit to the head, nothing else. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! Or if you want to yell at me again, that's also cool!


	60. andy is a homophobe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> H*ck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've started saying heck in situations where a stronger word would usually be used. I think I'm funny. I'm probably not. Anyway, here is a new chapter of No One Here Is Making A Good Decision, enjoy!
> 
> PS: Andy is not a homophobe I love him and would not do that to him.

**satan’s gf** : update: i’m ok i just have two stitches in my eyebrow and a really ugly black eye

**spooncer** : that doesn’t sound ok

**satan’s gf** : spence. i’m fine, i promise

**mieky** : u were out for like a minute tho

**satan’s side ho** : The whole group chat was worried, Bren. But I’m glad it’s not a concussion or anything really bad.

**satan’s gf** : me too

**satan’s gf** : i wont be at rehearsal today tho my parents are keeping me at home ://

**zoid** : u were in the hospital to get stitches of course ur staying at home

**satan’s gf** : ok ur now a mom

**zoid** : no i’m the fairy godparent that watches over you

**satan’s gf** : u do give off maleficent vibes sometimes

**satan’s gf** : in a good way

**zoid** : maleficent is fucking awesome and also a lesbian so i’m cool with that

**momfriend** : is she really?

**momfriend** : also brendon i’m glad ur ok-ish

**zoid** : she’s not but like… would a straight woman hate heterosexual shenanigans that muc?

**momfriend** : ok good point

 

Mikey locked their phone for a moment as they entered the chorus room. It was a singing day, which sucked because Mikey wasn’t an exceptional singer, and they hated singing in front of people in general. It was too late to back out of their part, though, because they were starting to memorise their lines and they didn’t want to make someone else have to learn the part.

 

Mikey was classified as an alto, mainly because they turned red and their voice cracked from nerves whenever they tried to sing high notes. There were a few altos, in comparison to the large group of sopranos that took up three rows on one side of the chorus room. Mikey wasn’t entirely alone in their section, though. Ashley was there with them, sitting cross-legged in a skirt and not caring that people could probably see up her skirt if they looked. 

 

Ashley looked up at Mikey. “Hey, I heard about Bren. What exactly happened?”

 

“Some dick was aiming volleyballs at her, and one of them hit,” Mikey said, sitting down beside her and nudging her leg away so they’d have room for their own. “I don’t know for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Brendon was the target because she’s trans.”

 

“People are assholes,” Ashley said, rolling her eyes. She turned around, looking back at the tenor and bass sections, where Brendon usually sat. “Is Bren--is she coming?”

 

Mikey almost asked Ashley if she’d checked the chat, but they didn’t. They didn’t want to come off as rude. “She had to get stitches, so, no. She’ll be back on Monday, though.”

 

“That’s good,” Ashley said, nodding her head thoughtfully. “You know, if it turns out that the guy who hit her was doing it for homophobic reasons, we can totally get the GSA to gang up on him together. Final battle scene style, and everything.”

 

“You guys can do that, if you want, but I’m not confrontational,” Mikey said. They bit at their nail again, even though the skin beside it had been bleeding earlier and was warm and tender to the touch. Mikey knew that biting their nails was bad, but they couldn’t help it. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve gotten revenge on people for being shitheads.”

 

Ashley’s eyes widened. “Ooh, what happened?”

 

Mikey opened their mouth to explain the egging situation from last semester, but the chorus teacher came in and tapped her baton against her music stand, signalling the beginning of rehearsal. Unlike in drama class, the chorus teacher was strict about people talking or using their phones. She’d kick people out instead of just giving them a disappointed look or putting their phone at the front of the room. 

 

Mikey made a hand motion at Ashley, hoping she’d interpret it as  _ I’ll tell you later _ , and pulled out their music folder. They made it through most of the rehearsal without checking the group chat, which was impressive. Mikey kept shifting around, though, because they’d forgotten what it felt like to get a bunch of notifications. Their thigh kept buzzing, and it was a little uncomfortable, but Mikey didn’t think that the chorus teacher would approve of them taking their phone out while she was talking to the sopranos. 

 

At the end of the rehearsal, though, Mikey and Ashley headed out to the parking lot, and Mikey explained the egging story. Ashley seemed impressed, especially when Mikey told her that Frank through an egg into the guy’s truck. 

 

“Frank really did that?” Ashley said. “That’s awesome.”

 

“Yeah, Frank’s an impulsive fucker, sometimes,” Mikey said. They remembered that Frank had been fucking their sister, and then cringed. Frank really was impulsive, just not in the best ways. 

 

“This might be out of nowhere, but do you want to hang out at my house?” Ashley asked. “Obviously not today, because my mom doesn’t let me have people over without warning her first, but sometimes next week, maybe?”

 

“Uh, I don’t know,” Mikey said. They didn’t like going over to new people’s houses, and even though Ashley seemed cool (and had the blue hair to prove it), Mikey didn’t know her that well, and they weren’t sure they’d be comfortable in her house. 

 

“I can invite Dallon or Ray or one of your other friends?” Ashley offered, picking up on Mikey’s wariness. Mikey nodded, because they didn’t want to seem like an ass. Ashley was bi, she was supportive of people’s pronouns even though she didn’t always get how to use them, and she wasn’t the worst person to hang around. 

 

Ashley grinned. “Sweet. It’ll be great to have new people over. I can show you guys all my posters and shit.”

 

“Like, band posters, or random celebrities you print out an put on your wall?” Mikey asked. They tried not to assume what other people were doing, and just because Gee tended to decorate her walls with  _ Doom Patrol _ covers and old punk posters, didn’t mean everyone else did the same. 

 

Ashley waved her hand. “A little bit of both. I do some collaging, too, when I’m bored or when I have time.”

 

“That’s a lot cooler than what I do in my spare time,” Mikey said. “I just post pictures of my cats online and talk about being sad.”

 

“I mean, I also post shitty song covers on YouTube, only for like, seven people to even watch them all the way through,” Ashley said. Mikey wanted to say that they had no idea she sang, but they’d literally just been sitting next to her, practicing singing, so that wouldn’t work. Mikey was bad at holding a conversation. They had no idea how their twitter had ever gotten popular. 

 

Mikey shrugged. “That’s still pretty impressive. Most people think their voice sucks, even if it doesn’t, and they’d never even try to do a cover.”

 

“That was supposed to be a compliment, right?” Ashley asked, her lips curling up into a smile. 

 

“Yes? I’m bad at, like, everything,” Mikey said, pushing their glasses up their nose with their knuckle. They really were bad at everything. They’d failed as a sibling, because now Gee hated them, and they’d failed romantically because of all of the Pete shit. Mikey was just one failure after another, and it sucked. 

 

“No you’re not,” Ashley said, sitting up. Her jaw tightened, like she was pissed off by Mikey’s words, but that wouldn’t make much sense, considering they didn’t know each other too well. “Look, I know we’re like, baby friends at this point, but you’re a connector. You bring people together, and you just… you can read people really well, even if you’re clueless to other shit, and I don’t know, it just seems like you’re the glue keeping your friends together. Like, they’d fall apart, but since you’re there, they don’t.”

 

“I’m the reason my sister and Lindsey broke up, though,” Mikey said. 

 

Ashley rolled her eyes. “No, that was Frank being a homewrecker, and your sister, for letting him be a homewrecker. All you did was speed up the process of them getting found out. No one gets away with cheating forever. It all comes out in the end, and hey, this might be an awakening for Frank and your sister. Maybe they’ll figure something out from this.”

 

“Like what?” Mikey asked. 

 

Ashley raised her arms. “I don’t know everything, dude.”

 

Mikey sighed. “Figures. It’d be too easy if you did know everything.”

 

“Unfortunately, I’m not an all-knowing being,” Ashley said. There was a car honking in the background, and Ashley rolled her eyes before grabbing her backpack and standing up. “That’s my mom, so I should probably go. I’ll see you at the GSA on Monday, though, right?”

 

“Definitely,” Mikey said, and waved her off. They saw their mom pulling up a few cars behind Ashley’s mom, so they grabbed their things and headed over. They waved to let her know they were on their way and that they’d noticed her.

 

**mieky** : whom here in this chat is tired of singing every day after school

**satan’s side ho** : Mikey, it’s two days a week. And you’re an alto, so you’re not singing much anyway.

**satan’s side ho** : No offense.

**mieky** : none taken

**zoid** : u can always leave

**zoid** : i can totally cover your part and my own

**mieky** : ur not that talented

**zoid** : u underestimate me anakin

**hurleyxvx** : no star wars references in the group chat

**p_wheezie** : andy you ARE a star wars reference

**hurleyxvx** : yea but i’m a good star wars reference

**hurleyxvx** : fuck the prequels

**fuckchristmas** : u have to change ur name now

**hurleyxvx** : no??

**fuckchristmas** : that’s homophobic

 

- **hurleyxvx** changed the name of the group to  **andy is a homophobe** -

 

**zoid** : he admits it

**bball_ace** : wait how is andy homophobic he’s ace

**hurleyxvx** : issa_joke.png

**zoid** : dollar in the jar

**hurleyxvx** : i accept this

**fuckchristmas** : it’s homophobic because it makes me sad and i’m a Gay

**satan’s gf** : guys not to freak anyone out but i just realised i’m a straight girl

**mieky** : wait what

**spooncer** : brendon, wearing leggings and my sweatshirt and drinking starbucks: oh my god i’m a straight girl

**satan’s gf** : don’t expose me like that

**spooncer** : too late

**spooncer** : also she really is wearing leggings and my sweatshirt. i have no idea how she got it

**satan’s gf** : i’m a thief

**fuckchristmas** : a straight person???? stealing from the gays???? now thats what i call homophobia

**satan’s gf** : dam u got me

**mieky** : brendon u r banned

**satan’s gf** : henty? more like hetty

**satan’s gf** : wait

 

- **satan’s gf** changed their name to  **hetty_mcgee** -

 

**hetty_mcgee** : omg i love yaoi

**hetty_mcgee** : lol i ship those two guys i’m sinning

**zoid** : cursed image

**hetty_mcgee** : i’m hilarious

**mieky** : u owe the jar like 10 dollars now

**satan’s side ho** : Pay for my college tuition, Brendon.

**hetty_mcgee** : i’m ur sugar mommy

**satan’s side ho** : Absolutely not.

**spooncer** : i’d like to note that the three of us are literally sitting at the same table at starbucks right now

**fuckchristmas** : damn millennial gays and their phones

**bball_ace** : ugh why don’t people talk to each other any more

**fuckchristmas** : it’s because they’re all lookin at DICKS

**bball_ace** : i would prefer not to

**hurleyxvx** : pete keeps trying to show me his dick

**p_wheezie** : uve already seen it andrew

**p_wheezie** : everyones seen it

**hurleyxvx** : unfortunately

**djspookyjim** : wait i haven’t

**djspookyjim** : i dont want to tho

**djspookyjim** : please don’t show me ur dick pete

**p_wheezie** : awww but that’s what friendship is all about

**djspookyjim** : i will cut it off out of fear

**bball_ace** : big ace mood

**hurleyxvx** : i just steal dicks to keep in my collection

**zoid** : andy. not to be gay but that’s weird

**hurleyxvx** : why don’t u and hetty mcgee talk about that in your not to be gay corner

**hetty_mcgee** : lov that dick

**zoid** : DOLLAR IN THE FUCKING JAR

**mieky** : blocked, all of you are full of sin

**mieky** : also we just got back home so i have to be a Social Millennial for a bit

**fuckchristmas** : have fun with that, don’t forget to destroy the department store franchise while ur at it

 

Mikey laughed at Joe’s message and then pocketed their phone. They grabbed their gym bag and their backpack out of the backseat of the car and followed their mom into the house through the garage. For a moment, they were able to forget about the shitstorm that was their life, and it was nice. They were glad they had friends outside of just Gee, Lindsey, and Ray now. There was definitely more room for drama, but at least they weren’t alone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	61. get mikey some DICC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Don't Hate Me Too Much.

Mikey got ahead of their mom because she was grabbing some things from the pantry and Mikey didn’t have to help make dinner that night. They moved past her and around the corner to where the door to their and Gee’s room was. Mikey knocked, just in case, but Gee didn’t say anything, and so Mikey opened the door slowly. 

 

The room was pitch black, and smelled like alcohol and vomit. Mikey pressed the sleeve of their jacket to their nose, wondering how long it had been since they Febreezed the room. Neither Way sibling was great when it came to hygiene, but this was gross even for Mikey. They adjusted their grip on their gym bag before kicking the door closed and flipping on the light switch. Even with the light on, the room was still horribly lit. 

 

There, splayed out across her bed with a trash bin beside her and a mostly empty bottle laying on the ground under her arm, was Gee. She was passed out, and the source of the smells. Mikey walked over, carefully, and looked their sister over. She was passed out, drunk, and she’d been throwing up earlier. 

 

Mikey didn’t want to deal with this. They tossed their backpack and gym bag onto their own bed and let out a sigh. Unfortunately, since they couldn’t go to their parents, they  _ had _ to deal with this. They carefully leaned over and turned Gee so that she was on her side, resting her head on her arm so that she didn’t choke on her own vomit or anything. Mikey removed the bottle, stashing it in the depths of the pantry and hoping their parents would never go looking for it. 

 

Mikey wanted to leave, just to get out of the house and away from Gee for a bit, because they felt like shit and they were pretty sure Gee had gotten drunk because of them. They couldn't, though, because it was late and getting dark outside. Their mom wouldn't let them out without asking a bunch of questions, and even if she did let Mikey out… Mikey was worried their mom would come in and see Gee. Mikey didn't want that to happen. They didn't want Gee to get in trouble. 

 

Mikey took a deep breath, which they immediately regretted, and headed to the laundry room. They searched through the cabinets, looking for something they could spray to mask the smell of vomit. They found some Lysol and took it back, spritzing away until all they could smell was fresh lemon. 

 

Mikey changed out the trash and put the bottle back in the downstairs cabinet so that Gee wouldn't be able to drunk anymore when she woke up. This wasn't the first time Gee had gotten blackout drunk. It was just the first time she'd done it in the middle of the day. Mikey was worried. 

 

They returned to the lemon and bile scented room and flipped on their bedside lamp, angling it towards their bed so that they could see their homework. Mikey bit at their fingernail, and then kept biting and ripping at it until it was bleeding. They stuck the end of their finger into their mouth and started to suck at the blood. It was something, something that wasn't their sister passed out on the mattress five feet away. 

 

Mikey sighed and pulled out their phone. They were too nervous and upset to concentrate on their Spanish homework. 

 

-private message to  **hetty_mcgee** -

 

**mieky:** do you think someone could accidentally become a vampire 

**hetty_mcgee:** idk i think it would be pretty obvious

**hetty_mcgee:** wait why are you asking me

**mieky:** i’m having a Bad Day :///

**hetty_mcgee:** oh damn

**hetty_mcgee:** anything i can do to help 

**mieky:** idk… i just can't focus and i feel bad

**hetty_mcgee:** well i talked to gabe about stuff and she's ready whenever. ik that's probably not at all what you care about but like… it's a distraction?

**mieky:** actually that's great to hear

**mieky:** what's her kik by the way idk it and i feel like i should since im her new bf or whatever 

**hetty_mcgee:** hold on i’ll make a mini group with the three of us

 

- **hetty_mcgee** has invited  **mieky** to the group  **get mikey some DICC** -

 

- **mieky** has joined  **get mikey some DICC** -

 

**mieky:** petition to change the name of the chat

**hetty_mcgee:** uh no

**hetty_mcgee:** GABE

**hetty_mcgee:** ANSWER UR TEXTS UR BFS HERE

**fangzout:** bren chill im here

**fangzout:** also hi mijey what's up

**fangzout:** fuck

**fangzout:** *mikey 

**mieky:** hi Gabe

 

- **mieky** changed their name to  **mijey** -

 

**hetty_mcgee:** change it back

**fangzout:** no it's our first relationship meme

**hetty_mcgee:** is this straight people culture

**fangzout:** bren ur straighter than me wtf 

**mijey:** yeah didn't spencer quote u saying u were straight like a few days ago

**hetty_mcgee:** dammit spencer

 

Mikey stifled their laugh into the sleeve of their jacket, and set their phone down for a second. That, of course, was the moment that their mom knocked on the door. Mikey flinched, startled, and then bolted to the door, opening it just wide enough to get their head through. “Mom, Gee’s asleep. He's not feeling too good so I don't think he's gonna be up for dinner.”

 

She looked concerned and tried to push on the door. “I should check on him. I don't want him getting what Frank had the other week. It looked really bad…”

 

“Mom, it's just a stomach bug, I promise. Gee just needs rest, and, like, to not be disturbed,” Mikey said. Their heart was pounding in their chest, and they could feel sweat forming on their palms. “It's no big deal. It was probably just something he ate earlier.”

 

Mikey's mom didn't look happy, but she let it go and Mikey closed the door behind themself as they followed their mom up to the kitchen. Lena and their dad were already at the table, and there was a place set for Gee even though she wasn't coming. It was lasagna, and it smelled good. One of the good things about being Italian was that the food was always good, even though Mikey's mom wasn't the best cook. It was a genetic thing. Italian blood automatically made someone a good cook, at least in Mikey's experience. 

 

Mikey sat down, and took their dad's and Lena’s hands so that their dad could say the meal prayer. Mikey wasn't sure if they believed in God, especially the Catholic God that their parents prayed to, but they prayed anyway. They didn't have a choice. Their parents believed that Mikey and Gee were too young to know their own faith, and that any anti-religious stuff they felt was just a result of teenage angst. 

 

“So, Mikes, anything interesting happen at school?” their dad asked. Mikey almost choked on lasagna. A lot of interesting things happened at school, but most of them were gay. Mikey couldn't tell their parents about the gay things. 

 

“Uh, well, Brendon got hit in the face with a volleyball,” Mikey said. It was the first not gay thing they could come up with. “It was in gym class. Spencer was freaking out.”

 

“Oh no, is Brendon okay?” Mikey's mom asked. They'd forgotten that she'd met Brendon, and that she'd liked her too. 

 

“Yeah, Brendon's fine. It was just a bruise,” Mikey said. They didn't mention that Brendon had been hit on purpose, or that Joe and Spencer were trying to find out who’d done it for “personal reasons.” Mikey also didn't mention how the jerk who had done it had gotten off with only one detention. It wasn't fair, but Mikey couldn't argue it. They poked a piece of spinach with their fork. “Also I have a boyfriend.”

 

Gabe wasn't really Mikey’s datemate, so it didn't matter if their parents knew or not. Also, Gabe was charming. She'd make Mikey's parents think she was a saint. A Jewish immigrant saint, but still. That wasn't as important. 

 

“Oh, is it Brendon?” Mikey's mom asked. 

 

Mikey groaned. “No, mom, it's not Brendon. It's one of his friends. Gabe.”

 

Their dad leaned forward in his chair. “Do we know this guy? Does he go to school with you, or did you meet him at one of those rock shows you and Gerard like to go to? Does he play sports, is he more of an academics guy…?”

 

“Jeez Louis, Don, Mikey’s only fourteen,” Lena said, and Mikey was pretty sure they saw their grandma roll her eyes. “Do you wanna meet the boy, or do you never want to hear about any of your kids dates again? Because interrogating them like that? That’s exactly how you end up knowing jack shit about what your kid’s doing.”

 

“ _ Mom _ ,” Mikey’s mom said, sounding astonished that Lena had just said shit in front of a kid. It hadn’t even registered in Mikey’s mind. They swore all the time; curse words had lost all of their meaning. 

 

Lena raised an eyebrow. “What, like you two didn’t swear like sailors until you started popping out kids. Besides, Mikey’s in high school, she’s heard worse by now. Right, Mikey?”

 

“Uh, yeah,” Mikey said. “I’ve heard worse.”

 

Mikey’s mom took a deep breath. “I wish I could be surprised. First I catch your brother smoking, now you’re picking up swearing and getting into boys… your boyfriend’s a good person, at least? Is he anything like Brendon?”

 

“Yeah. Gabe and Brendon are friends. Brendon introduced me to him, actually,” Mikey said. It was a better explanation than  _ one time I sucked Gabe’s dick and then we didn’t talk for like a year and a half _ . If their mom was freaking out over someone saying shit, then there was no way Mikey’d tell her that they’d sucked a dick. Mikey swallowed. “Gabe’s cool. He’s into politics and music, mostly. And soccer, I think.”

 

“Well, that’s good,” Mikey’s dad said. “He’s well-rounded. I’d still like to meet him, if you’re really dating the guy.”

 

“Sure,” Mikey said. That was one less thing they’d have to worry about. Their parents weren’t going to flip out about Mikey dating someone, which was going to make fake dating Gabe a lot easier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment/kudos instead of coming to my house in the middle of the night to fight me. I'd appreciate that, my sleep schedule's fucked as it is.


	62. The Water Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing that thing again where I post a cliff-hanger and then dissapear. It's... a coping mechanism, I don't know. Some people?? Post angsty chapters and then become cryptids?? To cope???
> 
> ...I'm shitposting, sorry. Anyway, prepare for a wild ride, because the next... three chapters will leave you screaming. Like a rollercoaster. But more terrifying.

Mikey told Ray about Gee drinking, because they needed to tell someone, and Ray was a good person. Ray was pissed about Gee cheating on Lindsey, but she wasn’t an ass about it, and she promised Mikey that she’d look out for their sister. That was a relief, because now Mikey wasn’t he only one watching Gee for any signs that shit was about to hit the fan. 

 

It didn’t mean that Mikey’s life was suddenly stress free, though. It was the Monday before Valentine’s Day, and the school was decked out in pink, red, and white. There were also student organisations selling carnations in the hallways. Mikey tried to avoid them, because they weren’t dating anyone, except Gabe, and they didn’t want flowers anyway. They didn’t know what they’d do with them. 

 

Mikey wasn’t paying attention, just speed walking away from the gym and not looking at anyone, so they were caught off guard when someone threw them against the wall. Their backpack clanged against the metal lockers, and their glasses slid down their nose so that the person in front of them was just a blur.

 

“What the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid bitch,” the blurry man hissed at them. Mikey flinched back. The guy pushed them against the locker again. “Don’t play stupid. I saw you and your faggy friends throwing shit in my truck. I know it was you.”

 

“Hey, back off!” someone else growled. Mikey couldn’t tell who it was.

 

“Who the hell are you?” the guy asked, not letting go of Mikey. There was a scuffling sound, and then someone was grabbing Mikey’s wrist and yanking them away from the wall. Mikey grabbed back and pushed their glasses up their nose as they were pulled away from their attacker. They could hear him yelling after them, and when Mikey looked over their shoulder, they saw three angry guys pushing through the crowds. 

 

Mikey clenched their jaw and turned back around, running faster. They were still holding onto the mystery person, who turned out to be Dallon, and they didn’t let go, even as their grip slipped a little and they were holding Dallon’s hand instead of their arm. 

 

Dallon turned onto the arts hallway and threw themself and Mikey into the guy’s bathroom, and then into the last stall. They clapped their hand over Mikey’s mouth and signalled for them to jump up on the handicapped handrail. 

 

Mikey did as they were told, and they hunched there, holding themself up by their arms and staring at Dallon. Dallon was on the other handrail, and they’d put their feet up on the toilet seat because their legs were too long. Mikey put their feet up as well, comparing their tattered black converse to Dallon’s red ones. There were Sharpie doodles on Dallon’s shoes, but they’d bled into the fabric and Mikey couldn’t make out what they were supposed to be. 

 

Mikey wasn’t sure how long they were in there before Dallon lowered their feet from the toilet seat and knelt down to look under the stalls. They stood up and nodded at Mikey. “We’re good.”

 

“What the hell was that?” Mikey breathed out. Their heart was still racing. Anxiety was the worst, because Mikey never calmed down when they needed to. 

 

“Good timing on my part, bad timing on yours,” Dallon said. They pulled out their phone to check the time and then put it back in their pocket. “Wanna go walk around campus? Just in case those guys are still looking for you? They seemed pretty pissed off… should I be worried?”

 

“We egged their truck,” Mikey said. Dallon frowned. Mikey shook their head. “Not, like, last weekend. It was back in October. When you and Spencer were having issues, some of us got stoned and threw eggs at a guy’s truck. The one who threw soda at Spencer’s car.”

 

“Wow, it’s like an actual feud,” Dallon said. “Who the hell is this guy, that he’s so obsessed with getting back you?”

 

“No idea,” Mikey said. “But I’ll take you up on that offer. Class isn’t looking too appealing after all that.”

 

“Sweet. I can show you all the cool places to hang out off campus,” Dallon said. They opened the stall door and led Mikey out, down the hallway to the door that led out of the side of the school. It was cool without being too cold, meaning that spring was coming and Mikey would have to stop wearing hoodies again. 

 

That would suck. 

 

“I didn’t know you skipped class,” Mikey said. “I thought you were a good, perfect student who could do no wrong.”

 

“I don’t do it a lot,” Dallon said. “But sometimes I just have to get out of there, you know? Some people are assholes.”

 

“Yeah, I get that,” Mikey said. They were still shaking a little from what had just happened. It was strange. Mikey knew that there were shitty people out there, and they’d dealt with them in the past, but they’d never really been the victim before now. It was terrifying. They never wanted to deal with something like that again. 

 

Dallon must have misinterpreted Mikey’s shaking for shivering from the cold, because they looped an arm around Mikey’s shoulders and pulled them closer. Dallon was warm, and they smelled like fabric softener. It was better than Mikey, who probably smelled like hair gel and their bedroom floor. 

 

They walked together down the road for about fifteen minutes. There wasn’t much to look at, except for a cornfield and some trees. Mikey forgot how boring the other side of the school was. Mikey lived on the edge of actual Evansville, and to the west, there was civilisation and things to do. To the east, there was the high school, a handful of fast food restaurants, Spencer’s house, and then nothing. Just corn. Corn and two lane roads, and a water tower.

 

Mikey and Dallon were stopping at the water tower. Dallon placed their backpack behind the small building beside the fence and then started climbing. They were about half a foot taller than Mikey, so they didn’t really have to climb to get over. Dallon just had to hook one Converse clad foot into the fence and then pull themself over. 

 

Dallon dropped down on the other side with a soft thud. They curled their fingers around the fence. “Don’t worry about getting in trouble. No one comes by here.”

 

“How often are you jumping fences?” Mikey asked as they started to climb. 

 

Dallon held a hand out to steady Mikey as they jumped down from the fence. “Spencer, Brendon, and I would come here during the summer, sometimes. It was mostly at night, though, because there were stars and it felt like we weren’t just kids trapped in a small town. It’s a lot cooler at night, I promise.”

 

“It’s cool enough now,” Mikey said, shrugging. They squinted up at the tower. There was a ladder leading up to the top of it. “We’re not climbing up there, are we?”

 

“Not if you don’t want to,” Dallon said. “We can just hang out on the ground until you’re ready to go back.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikey said. “You didn’t have to do this, though. I would have been fine.”

 

Dallon rolled their eyes. “What’s the point in having friends if they’re not willing to swoop in and save you from getting your ass kicked? I’d have invited you to the water tower eventually, since you’re always over at Spencer’s house.”

 

Mikey froze. Did Dallon not want them there? Was Mikey accidentally being a fourth wheel in their relationship? Fuck, they totally were. They were almost always with Brendon, Dallon, and or Spencer when any of those three were hanging out. There was no way Mikey’s presence hadn’t gotten annoying.

 

“You’re like the new Ryan, but a better, improved version,” Dallon said. 

 

“I mean, I slept with Pete,” Mikey said. Because they had. And Dallon knew about it, because Dallon and Brendon had both been there to explain the Gabe plan to Mikey. They’d been making out before it, too, and Mikey had interrupted that. Mikey wondered how many times they’d interrupted their friends. Probably a lot. 

 

“Yeah, but you weren’t cheating on Bren when you did it, so it doesn’t matter,” Dallon said. “Also you’re a lot cooler than Ryan, and you’re not dating the person I secretly have a crush on.”

 

“You had a crush on Brendon while she was dating Ryan?” Mikey asked. They felt like they knew that, but they weren’t entirely sure. It made sense, because it would explain why Brendon and Dallon had been in a weird not relationship for months after Ryan had left. 

 

Dallon shrugged. “I’ve had a crush on Brendon since I was thirteen. It just became a part of my personality at some point. I’m dating her and Spence now, so it all worked out in the end.”

 

“Lucky,” Mikey said. They hadn’t even been in a relationship yet. The closest they had was their thing with Pete, and they didn’t want to count that. Mikey wanted to forget about it, if nothing else. Fucking Pete had been a mistake. They didn’t hate Pete, because Pete was young too and the relationship hadn’t been good for either of them. Mikey was still bitter, though. They’d had feelings for Pete and it sucked that things hadn’t worked themselves out. 

 

Dallon nudged Mikey with their elbow. “Hey, don’t get torn up about it. It’s high school. Shit gets weird in high school.”

 

“It really does,” Mikey said. “I don’t think I’m supposed to be dealing with so much drama when I’m only a freshman. I mean, how many people are salvaging friendships at the age of fourteen?”

 

“Not many,” Dallon said. “But it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. I mean, shit, when I was fourteen I made out with guys at parties to see if I was actually gay or not.”

 

Mikey’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

 

“Okay, so maybe it was more like two guys,” Dallon said. Their cheeks were bright red, and Mikey couldn’t help but laugh at their embarrassment. Dallon splayed their hand out across Mikey’s face, pressing their fingerprints into Mikey’s glasses. “Shut up, I’m trying to make you feel better.”

 

“You are, asshole. Get your oily fingers off of my glasses,” Mikey said, laughing and pushing Dallon’s hand away. Dallon muttered some kind of protest, but Mikey didn’t really hear it. Their phone was buzzing obnoxiously against their leg. Mikey didn’t want to acknowledge it, because it was probably just the group chat, but it was incredibly annoying. 

 

They pulled their phone out of their pocket, opening the home screen. They just wanted to turn the vibrations off. 

 

That didn’t happen. 

 

Mikey took one look at the messages on their screen, all private, all from Brendon, Ray, or Spencer, and went into a panic attack. 

 

They were pretty sure that they dropped their phone, and that Dallon reached out so that they didn’t fall face forward into the ground, but Mikey wasn’t really existing in their own body. Everything was dull, but in high contrast. The landscape was burning into Mikey’s eyes. Dallon’s scent, which had previously been subtle, was now so strong Mikey felt like they were suffocating. Mikey wanted to scream, but their throat was no longer in their body and their tongue was made of drenched cotton. 

 

_ come to the first floor bathrooms. by b hall. its gee. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos/yell at me in the comments! 
> 
> (Real talk, though: I'm about to go on a month long vacation to France and I have no idea what kind of internet access I'll have over there. So who knows when I'll update again. It might be in 8 days, it might be in August)
> 
> (Sorry)


	63. Gee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am still in Europe, but I felt bad about abandoning everyone after the last chapter so... here's an update.

Mikey didn’t remember walking back from the water tower. They didn’t remember the shift from crisp February air to the stuffy indoors, either, or how it stopped smelling like fresh laundry and grass and started smelling of vomit and stale piss. They didn’t even know there was a bathroom here, except that they did, and they’d used it before.

 

Dallon’s arms were wrapped around their shoulders, and Mikey’s knees were shaking. Spencer was in front of them, saying something that would make sense if Mikey could hear anything. All they heard was static screaming. 

 

Gee was lying on the bathroom floor. Spencer’s nose was bleeding and crooked. Ray was cleaning something up, maybe Gee, maybe the floor. Brendon was on the other side of Gee’s body, curled up small and shaking. She might have been crying. Everything sounded the same. Mikey grabbed onto Dallon’s wrists, not sure if they could keep standing if Dallon let go. 

 

They heard someone say hospital, and they started to cry. They were on the floor, and Dallon was still holding them. Brendon’s heels were clacking on the floor. She was holding Mikey’s face, trying to say something to them, but Mikey couldn’t hear. Spencer was still there, half kneeling down, holding one hand to his nose and looking back and forth between Mikey and Gee. He couldn’t figure out which Way sibling to go to. Mikey shook their head, and started saying, over and over, “Gee, go to Gee,” hoping that Spencer would hear them. 

 

Suddenly there were people in police uniforms, and new noises and a siren faintly in the bathroom. People were pushing Ray away from Gee, someone was shining a flashlight at Spencer’s face, and there was a woman with a notepad squatting beside Dallon, Brendon, and Mikey and asking them things. 

 

Mikey buried their face in Dallon’s shoulder, squeezing their eyes shut and hoping that everyone would just go away. They just wanted their sister to be okay, and to not be passed out over a toilet, breathing in her own vomit. 

 

When Mikey opened their eyes again, they were in the front office of the school. Gee was gone, as was Spencer, but Ray, Dallon, and Brendon were still there. Ray and Dallon were standing. Brendon was in the chair next to Mikey, curled in on herself and rubbing her face. There were two adults on the other side of the desk, talking to each other. 

 

Mikey took a deep, shuddering breath. “What’s going on? Where’s my--where’s Gee?”

 

“Your brother’s been taken to a hospital, along with Mr. Smith,” one of the adults said. “Your mom is with your brother, but since you and your other friends didn’t sustain any injuries, we can’t send you home.”

 

“They’re  _ clearly  _ upset, though!” Ray exclaimed. Mikey had a feeling that she’d been arguing with the adults before Mikey came back to reality. Ray looked pretty unnerved. “You can’t just send them back to class!”

 

“We can’t send either of them home, either, Mr. Toro,” the other adult said. “It’s school policy.”

 

Ray closed her eyes and stepped back. Her fists were clenched by her sides. Dallon shifted towards Brendon, placing their hands on the back of her chair. Ray stepped back forward, half between Mikey and Brendon. “Do you really think that Mikey or Brendon are going to be able to focus? After everything that’s happened today?”

 

“Mr. Toro, you’re not the authority here,” the second adult said, in their condescending adult voice. “Please keep that in mind.”

 

“All four of you should head back to class,” the first adult said. “You can go home once the school day is over, but for now, your priority is getting an education.”

 

“With all due respect, sirs, you should really update your school policy,” Ray said. She turned on her heel and walked out of the office. Mikey got up without thinking about it and followed her out. If nothing else, Ray would answer Mikey’s questions about Gee and what had happened. 

 

Dallon and Brendon followed Mikey out, with Brendon huddling under Dallon’s arm and Dallon keeping her close. The three of them followed Ray through the school, to the staircase at the back of the building. Ray walked under it, sitting down on the dust covered floor and kicking an abandoned pencil into the wall. Mikey dropped down beside her and Dallon and Brendon slid down against the wall. 

 

Mikey pushed their glasses up their nose. “So. What exactly just happened?”

 

“The school fucking sucks, first of all,” Ray said. “Gee and Brendon are getting bullied, but the school doesn’t give a shit because they’re both open about their gender. Spencer got in a fight because some dick was harassing Brendon, so he’s probably getting suspended as soon as his nose gets fixed. You and Brendon were literally crying and in shock but since you aren’t  _ fucking bleeding or passed out _ you have to go back to class. I’m so fucking tired of this.”

 

“Hard retweet,” Brendon mumbled from under Dallon’s arm. Her eyes flicked up to Mikey, and it was obvious that she’d been crying a lot. “Sorry about your sister, by the way.”

 

“What… is Gee gonna be okay?” Mikey asked. They ripped the end of their nail off, and blood immediately started to pool around the exposed pink part of their nail. “What happened to her?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Brendon said. “Spence and I went into that bathroom to try and clean up his face, and she was throwing up, but she passed out before we could get anyone’s attention. Spencer didn’t want to leave me alone, and I didn’t want to go back out into the school again, so we texted Ray, and he came, and then I texted you, because you’re her sibling, and I thought you should know…”

 

“It’s okay,” Mikey said, because they didn't’ know what else they were supposed to say. They looked back over at Ray. “What are we going to do about the GSA meeting?”

 

“We’re still having one,” Ray said. She sounded so sure of herself. Mikey couldn’t tell if it was because their own self esteem was shattered, or if Ray was just that devoted to the cause. “This kind of shit can’t keep happening. We have to talk about it, and we have to figure out some way to change the school environment. No one should be afraid to use the fucking bathroom. That’s fucking ridiculous.”

 

“I appreciate the sentiment, but you do realise we’re in the southernmost part of the Mike Pence state, right?” Dallon asked. They had their arm around Brendon, and they looked upset. They'd been out with Mikey when everything had happened. Mikey wondered if Dallon blamed themself for any of the things that had happened today. Dallon frowned. “We're not in the most accepting area to start with.”

 

“I know, but that doesn't mean any of this is okay,” Ray said. “People like us didn't get our rights by sitting around and asking nicely. They got their rights by protesting, and by being loud and refusing to let the assholes in charge get away with bullshit laws.”

 

Dallon nodded. “It's not going to be easy.”

 

“It never is,” Ray said. She sat up taller, her bushy hair almost scraping the underside of the staircase. “But I'm willing to do what I have to to make this school safe for queer kids like us.”

 

Ray gave a good speech, of course, but nothing had changed. Mikey still had to go back to the cafeteria for lunch and sit with Joe and Andy. They still had to sit in class while their sister and Spencer were in the hospital for different reasons. They were still avoiding Frank because of everything that had happened with him and Gee. There were still people who gave Mikey strange looks in class and in the hallway because they looked like a lesbian. 

 

-private message to  **fangzout** \- 

 

**mijey** : pls tell me ur hs doesn't suck as much as mine

**fangzout** : that depends bc harrison is p fucked up

**mijey** : for like queer ppl

**fangzout** : uh don't call everyone who's gay/trans queer not everyone's cool with that

**mijey** : shit seriously

**fangzout** : yea willow’s had some shitty people call her that it's bad

**mijey** : sorry ://

**fangzout** : it's cool

**fangzout** : but yeah harrison sucks with gay shit too we don't even have a gsa 

**mijey** : u could come to ours if u wanted to? i don't think mr armstrong would care (he's the guy in charge)

**fangzout** : cool when is it 

**mijey** : mondays but u can just come next week since it's kind of last minute now

 

They set their phone down and returned to the classwork they were supposed to be doing. Mikey couldn't concentrate. They kept thinking about Gee, and how angry Ray was, and how small Brendon looked, and how Spencer had been covered in his own blood and how it all felt too normal. There was so much wrong with the world, and Mikey was fourteen and couldn't do anything about any of it. They were helpless. They weren't useless, because they knew better than to think that about themself, but they felt like they were floundering. They didn't know what to do. 

 

The final bell rang, and Mikey headed to the drama room without thinking about it. They weren't sure how long they sat beside the door, waiting for Brendon or Dallon or Veronica to show up and let them in. Eventually, Mikey realised that it was Monday and that they were supposed to be upstairs in Mr. Armstrong's room, gathering for the GSA meeting. They were the vice president. They were supposed to have their shit together, even when their sister was sick and they felt like their world was falling apart. 

 

Everyone, sans Gee and Spencer, were already sitting in a circle when Mikey finally arrived in Mr. Armstrong's classroom. There were no new people, and Ray only waved Mikey over when she noticed them standing awkwardly in the doorway. Ray scooted over on her desk so that Mikey could join her, and Mikey sat with one asscheek on Ray’s desk and the other on Lindsey's. 

 

Ray sat up straight, staring down at the other members. She looked threatening, but Mikey knew that she wouldn’t hurt anyone in this room. Everyone here was a part of Ray’s family, because they were all LGBT, and she wouldn’t do anything to someone who was LGBT (unless they were a TERF). Her face was hard and blank. “So. I don’t know how many of you are aware of this, but there’s a lot of hate going on in this school, and a lot of it is being targeted at us. I know Mr. Armstrong said earlier in the semester that if anyone is a bigoted asshole to you, you should fight back, but I want to remind all of you that that’s still what we’re doing. If you can’t fight back, physically, then run. No one will hate you for running, because while fighting back is good and all, it’s not always the safe--or brave--thing to do.”

 

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “And now that I’ve said that, I have something to say. I’m transgender. I’m a girl, I use she/her pronouns, and I’m tired of hiding. I don’t know if me coming out is the safe thing to do, because I don’t think there’s ever a safe time to come out. I do know it’s the right thing to do, and so I’m doing it now.”

 

“We all love you,” Brendon said. Her voice was shaky, but there was a small smile on her face, and she looked proud of Ray. 

 

Lindsey nudged Ray with their elbow. “You’re totally getting a girl gang jacket now. You’re part of the gang.”

 

“Thanks, Linds,” Ray said, smiling now. It didn’t matter that Lindsey had known before. The acceptance was still nice. Mikey looped their arms around Ray’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug before sitting back in their spot beside her. 

 

Ray rubbed the back of her neck. “So, uh, before we get into the actual discussion thing, does anyone else have anything to share? Sorry for doing a coming out thing at the beginning.”

 

“I do, actually,” Lindsey said, awkwardly raising their hand in the air. “I, uh, I want to try using it/its pronouns? I’m still okay with they/them, and even she/her, kind of, but I just… I don’t feel like I’m any gender. Just, like, goth. My gender is goth.”

 

“My gender is dad, so it’s cool,” Dallon said. 

 

“Don’t genders have to be real, though?” Josh asked, his eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t seem to be asking it in a malicious way, but Mikey was still uncomfortable. They never knew how to deal with cis people. 

 

“Jokes on you, nothing is real,” Joe said from the other side of Lindsey. Ae pulled out a pair of sunglasses from Lindsey’s backpack and put them on, doing finger guns at Josh. “We’re all just an illusion.”

 

Andy rolled his eyes. “No nihilism in the Gay Club, Joe.”

 

“You ruin everything,” Joe said. Ae took Lindsey’s sunglasses off and handed them back to it, though. Mikey shook their head. Their life felt like it was falling apart, but at least some things were still normal. So long as Joe kept shitposting and Lindsey kept being the other half of aer Odd Couple friendship, everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed, and feel free to come talk to me on tumblr (@tumblr)! I'll probably be more active on there just because it's easier to check mobile messages on tumblr than on ao3


	64. let me smash that verussy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, I hate myself. It has everything to do with the chapter title. 
> 
> In other news, I'm now back home, and my cat is on my bed. I am not, however, readjusted to my natural timezone, and that is my own fault because i didn't sleep at all on the plane ride home. I'm a dumbass, and now I have the sleep schedule of an old man. 
> 
> It's nine thirty PM, currently. I'm seriously considering going to bed. What is my life.

Tuesday was hard. Last night Mikey's parents had told them that they were putting Gee in a psychiatric hospital once she got released from the actual hospital. Their mom was beyond upset, and their dad was switching between being distraught over his child's mental state and blaming himself for being a bad father. 

 

Mikey spent most of Monday night in their room, headphones on and blasting the loudest, angriest music they had. They kept their phone turned down so that they wouldn't see any notifications, and just worked on homework. 

 

When that stopped working, they laid down in their bed and blasted the music louder to cover up how they were crying into their pillow. They fell asleep some time in the darkest part of the night, fully clothed and with their music still on. When they woke up the next morning, their ears were ringing and their phone was at 41% battery. 

 

Mikey charged it while they were getting dressed, and then got a ride with their mom since they didn't know their bus route yet. They promised their mom that they'd find out, and then went into the school. They retained nothing from any of their classes, and headed to drama rehearsal feeling heavy and on the edge of a breakdown. 

 

Mikey could not dance. Well, they could, but they got nervous whenever they were doing it on stage instead of in choreography practice, and Veronica started yelling at them before Brendon came up and dragged them off the stage, saying she’d help Mikey out. Mikey was grateful, especially when Brendon pulled two juice boxes out of her backpack and offered one to Mikey. 

 

The two of them were situated in the prop storage room, carefully fitting in amongst the abandoned wooden models. Brendon had one leg stretched out towards Mikey. “So, stage-fright, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said around their straw. “I don't know why I thought drama class would be a good idea. I hate being the center of attention.”

 

“At least you're a secondary character?” Brendon offered. Mikey knew that she was trying to be sympathetic, but the truth was, Brendon didn't get it. Brendon loved attention, and she had a great voice, and she fit the part of Reno perfectly. Brendon was sexy when she wanted to be. Mikey couldn't do that. They were awkward and gangly. They didn't belong on stage. 

 

Brendon ran her hand through her hair. “Mikey, Veronica means well, but sometimes she can get a little obsessed with making everything perfect. It's okay if you can't get the dance moves right, especially since you're doing them with Pete.”

 

“I don't know if it's stage fright,” Mikey said. Their voice wobbled as they spoke. They rubbed at their face, desperately hoping that they wouldn't start crying in front of Brendon. “I have a lot going on. I'm stressed, I feel like shit, and I just… I need a break. I don't know.”

 

“Hey, it's okay,” Brendon said. She reached out and rubbed Mikey's shoulder. “I'm here for you. And you've got Dallon and Lindsey here too.”

 

“I know,” Mikey said. “It's just a lot.”

 

Brendon rubbed their shoulder again. She and Mikey stayed back there for a while, drinking juice boxes and snacking on the granola bars they found backstage. It was what Mikey needed, really. They were stressed, they were trying not to have a mental breakdown, and they were not in the mood for dancing. Brendon got it. Mikey was so glad that Brendon got it. 

 

They couldn't stay back there doing nothing forever, though. Eventually Brendon tossed the empty boxes and wrappers into the tiny trashcan by the door and pulled Mikey down onto the floor. She put her hands on their shoulders and looked them directly in the eye. “Okay, Mikey, I'm going to teach you how to dance.”

 

Mikey laughed a little, but they let Brendon move them around the prop room. At one point, she hopped back on top of the abandoned props and told Mikey to dance on their own. Mikey froze, but Brendon kept watching them with a warm, excited look on their face, and so Mikey started up the choreography. Brendon sang along with them, covering all of the parts that weren't Mikey's. She was talented; Mikey couldn't believe how talented she was. 

 

An hour passed, but it only felt like a few minutes. Mikey and Brendon returned to the stage, where Lindsey, Dallon, and the girl playing Hope Harcourt were doing a scene together. Brendon hopped onto the stage and gave Veronica a thumps up before returning to her usual off-scene place at the bar. Mikey followed her, having nowhere better to go. 

 

Brendon pulled out a little mirror from her bag, which she kept under the bar in case any of the cast needed a touch up. She flipped it open and stared at herself, turning her face and making weird, exaggerated expressions. “So, did that help? I don't usually instruct people.”

 

“Why not?” Mikey asked. “You're good at it.”

 

“No one really wants my help,” Brendon said. She frowned at herself in the mirror. “They all think I'm weird. Spencer wouldn't have even looked at me if I hadn't been Ryan's date. Hell,  _ Dallon  _ was only friends with me out of pity before we met Spence.”

 

“I doubt that,” Mikey said. “Dallon had a crush on you for years before you two started to date.”

 

Brendon perked up. “Really?”

 

Mikey nodded. “Yeah. They told me so.”

 

Brendon turned around in her seat, sitting up and facing Dallon. She shouted, “Dallon! You had a crush on me?!”

 

Lindsey started giggling, half bent over with its hands on its knees. Dallon mouthed an apology to Veronica before glancing over their shoulder and saying, “Brendon, we're dating.”

 

“Yeah, but you still had a crush on me,” Brendon said, grinning. “That's adorable.”

 

Dallon had a conflicted look on their face, and Sarah was holding back laughter. Mikey put their hands in the air, because none of this was their fault and they didn't want Dallon to get pissed at them or anything. Dallon finally let out a sigh and turned back to Sarah and Veronica. “Sorry about my girlfriend. Can we start the scene over?”

 

“Yes, from the top, please,” Veronica said. She looked over to Brendon and pointed a finger at her. “Your young romance is beautiful and splendid to watch unfold, but please, keep off-stage romance  _ off-stage _ . We have a production to complete!”

 

“Yes Veronica, sorry Veronica,” Brendon said, fluttering her eyelashes. She turned back to Mikey and her mirror, smiling. “She loves me.”

 

“She’s like the cool aunt everyone wants,” Mikey noted. 

 

Brendon nodded. “Yeah. She’d be cooler as my mom, though. I probably wouldn’t get any leads, though, if she was my mom. Bias, and all that.”

 

“At least you’d be able to take her class,” Mikey said. “Some places don’t let teachers teach their own kids, like, at all.”

 

“Ew,” Brendon said. She glanced over her shoulder, but Veronica was still working with Dallon and Sarah on their part. Brendon pulled out her phone and opened Snapchat, pulling up the dog filter and pulling Mikey in closer before starting the video. Mikey tried to duck out of it, but Brendon was quick with her camera and kept getting them on the screen. She laughed. “Oh man, you’re adorable. I’m saving the shit out of that.”

 

“Good thing I’m already on the internet,” Mikey said drily. They hadn’t been on twitter as much recently, with all the things going on in their life. 

 

“You mean twitter, right?” Brendon asked. She looked tense, for some reason. Veronica had probably noticed her with her phone out. 

 

Mikey nodded. “Yeah, just twitter. I don’t even have instagram. I don’t know what I’d do with it.”

 

“Take flattering pictures of me and tag me in them so that everyone can see I’m beautiful even when I don’t know my picture’s being taken,” Brendon said, and winked. 

 

Mikey shook their head and took out their own phone, opening kik again. 

 

**momfriend** : is drama actually being productive? the chat usually isn’t this dead

**fuckchristmas** : yeah i’ve been sending andy dogs in ewok costumes for the past seven minutes and he hasn’t even seen them yet

**momfriend** : jesus christ thats rare

**fuckchristmas** : i need the next star wars movie to come out so i can convince andy to change his name to something star wars related

**mijey** : how about fuckkylo then u two can be twins

**fuckchristmas** : mikey!! is lindsey there

**mijey** : wow i can see i’m appreciated

**mijey** : but yea its on the other side of the stage, mimicking dance moves

**momfriend** : amazing

**momfriend** : start a dance off

**mijey** : cant i suck at dancing

**hetty_mcgee** : no u dont i taught u also v is watching

**momfriend** : v for vendetta more like v for veronica

**momfriend** : wait i just thought of something horrible

 

- **momfriend** changed the name of the group to  **let me smash that verussy** -

 

**hetty_mcgee** : IM GOING TO DIE

**hetty_mcgee** : WHY DID YOU MAKE ME READ THAT WITH MY OWN TWO EYES

**spooncer** : fkjahlirh i’m dying bren what the fuck

**hetty_mcgee** : I DIDNT DO IT

**momfriend** : ...should i change it

**mijey** : n

**mijey** : no. its perfect as is

**hetty_mcgee** : im never teaching you dance steps again u TRAITOR

**fuckchristmas** : *light saber noise* TRAITOR

**hetty_mcgee** : fuck it thats the chat name now no more verussy

 

- **hetty_mcgee** changed the name of the group to  ***light saber noise* TRAITOR** -

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos and feel free to say hi to me on tumblr @fluffydallon!


	65. *light saber noise* TRAITOR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Current mood: Anxiety. 
> 
> Also, more Gabe! I love her. Gabe is a good fucko.

**hurleyxvx** : good news: i missed the verussy era

**hurleyxvx** : bad news: i also missed joe making a star wars reference

**fuckchristmas** : well its the chat name so does that count

**hurleyxvx** : uh sure

**djspookyjim** : unrelated but uhh valentine’s day is in like three days and my homoromantic ace ass is Not Ready

**hurleyxvx** : i’m gonna just take a nap

**fuckchristmas** : but what about the bears, andrew

**hurleyxvx** : they’re in the mail, joseph troseph

**djspookyjim** : do we all get bears or just u two, pete and patrick

**hurleyxvx** : unfortunately i am not obscenely rich so it’s just joe/patrick/pete

**djspookyjim** : aw

**djspookyjim** : i wanted a bear

**hurleyxvx** : i mean they’re on amazon

**p_wheezie** : joshua listen i have many bears u can have one

**djspookyjim** : beautiful

**zoid** : for valentine’s day i’m buying myself a vibrator and having a blast

**djspookyjim** : me, a man who has never touched his dick: can’t relate

**p_wheezie** : wait like. never? 

**p_wheezie** : how do you piss

**djspookyjim** : im not gonna talk about my pissing habits in a group chat

**fuckchristmas** : he dicc too thicc for he got damn piss

**zoid** : however much my future vibrator costs = however much you have to put in the sin jar for making me read that with my own two eyes

**fuckchristmas** : true friendship is funding your bffs sex toys

**p_wheezie** : wow i thought /we/ were bffs joe

**fuckchristmas** : u have andy and patrick

**fuckchristmas** : i want lindsey

**p_wheezie** : >:( fine

 

“So, like, are you always on your phone or is that a distraction technique?” Spencer asked as he slid into the empty seat beside Mikey in the soundbooth. It was just him, Mikey, Gabe, and Ray. Frank was off somewhere else, avoiding Mikey, and Gee was still in the hospital. 

 

“It’s a Ray isn’t paying attention to me technique,” Mikey said. Ray flipped them off from behind the laptop. Mikey flicked her in the arm. “I saw you in the group chat, you fucker. I know you can do multiple things at once.”

 

“I was waiting for something to load, leave me alone,” Ray said. She waved at Gabe. “Hi Mikey’s girlfriend, I’m a girl now.”

 

“Sweet,” Gabe said, lounging back in her chair and sticking her feet out under the table. “Now we’re almost two and two.”

 

“I can pretend I’m a guy,” Mikey said. 

 

Spencer shook his head. “Nah. Just be you, Mikes.”

 

“Yeah, you’re pretty alright just as you are,” Gabe said, winking and winding a piece of Mikey’s hair around her finger. Brendon and Dallon were the only two who knew that Mikey and Gabe were putting on a charade with their dating. Spencer knew that Gabe was still dating Willow and Travie, because he was friends with the three of them, but as far as Mikey knew, he had no idea that Gabe and Mikey were just playing pretend. 

 

The ones who knew had decided it would be best if less people knew, so that less people would have to act. Part of Mikey felt bad that Spencer didn’t know when both of his datemates did, but it wasn’t their call. It was Brendon’s plan, and she knew what she was doing.

 

Mikey smiled. “Thanks, Gabe.”

 

Gabe shook her head. “One day I’m gonna get them to call me something cute. One day.”

 

“Gabey Baby,” Spencer suggested. Ray snorted. 

 

Gabe made a face. “Absolutely not. Spencer James Smith, you are henceforth banned from designating pet names. I’m going to call your girlfriend and your Dallon and update them on your most recent failure.”

 

“I think it’s a great name,” Ray said. 

 

Gabe looped her arm around Mikey’s shoulders and narrowed her eyes at Ray. “You’re also banned, Raya Toro. Are you dating anyone? I need to know who to call and complain to.”

 

“Uh, not yet,” Ray said. Mikey could see her blushing a little. She turned away from the other three, towards the laptop. “I mean I’m single.”

 

“Ray has a crush,” Mikey sing-songed. “Ray’s gonna get someone to be her Valentine.”

 

“See, this is why I was ignoring you earlier,” Ray said, pointing a finger over her shoulder at Mikey. “Gabey Baby, Spencer, you two need to do a better job of keeping them occupied so I can do my fucking job. Also, go get food before they run out.”

 

“Okay mom,” Spencer said, biting back a grin. He glanced over at Gabe and Mikey, and Mikey noticed some kind of expression wash over his face. “Do you guys want me to get you anything?”

 

“I’d like my mother’s approval,” Gabe said drily.

 

Spencer raised an eyebrow. “I have twelve dollars.”

 

“Two slices of cheese pizza and a Sprite then, Miracle Man,” Gabe said. Mikey didn’t want anything, because they’d eaten earlier with Ray, and so they leaned against Gabe and brought their hand up to take a hold of hers. Gabe pressed her head against Mikey’s. “Oh, and if they have Sour Patch Kids, I will totally suck you dick if you get me and Mikey a pack. And I’ll pay you back for them, in money, not sexual favours.”

 

“I already have two people more than willing to suck my dick, but thanks,” Spencer said, smiling a little. He headed off to go get food, and Mikey continued leaning against Gabe. 

 

“Do you think you could hit Ray’s butt with your foot?” Gabe asked. 

 

Mikey started reaching their leg out to poke Ray’s butt. 

 

“If anything touches my butt, I’m stabbing it,” Ray said. 

 

Mikey lowered their foot. 

 

Ray nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

 

“You guys are boring. What are you doing if you’re not poking each other in the butt and generally ignoring boundaries?” Gabe asked. She winked at Mikey and then quickly stuck her foot out, tapping Ray’s hip instead of her ass. Ray turned around, but Gabe had already returned her foot to its original position and was blinking innocently up at Ray.

 

She pointed her finger at the two of them. “I know it was one of you. And when I figure out which one, you will suffer my wrath.”

 

“Okay mom,” Mikey said. They leaned over and kissed Gabe on the cheek. Spencer returned from getting food in time to see Ray sticking her tongue out at the two of them before turning back around to the laptop to do her job. Spencer raised an eyebrow as he sat back down beside Mikey. 

 

Gabe leaned around Mikey to grab her pizza and Sprite from Spencer before he could hand it over. “You’re amazing. Where’re the Sour Patch Kids.”

 

“I didn’t want you to suck my dick, so I didn’t get them,” Spencer said. He leaned back and pulled a bag of Sour Patch Kids out of the pocket of his jeans and handed them over to Mikey with a grin. “But hey, Mikes, if you ever want a free blowjob, feel free to use these.”

 

“I still think that counts as prostitution,” Ray said. 

 

Gabe snatched the Sour Patch Kids from Mikey and ripped them open. She poured out a handful and held them out to Mikey, who accepted the offering for what it was. Gabe ate the rest. “We need to decriminalise sex work anyway. Why not start with Sour Patch Kids?”

 

“Because most people don’t pay sex workers with candy, Gabe,” Spencer said. He popped open the tab on his Coke can and brought it up to his lips to sip up the little bit of Coke that had spilled up onto the lid. He was kind of ridiculous, but they all were. Mikey considered it a part of being gay. There were less barriers. Everyone felt like they didn't fit in, and so nobody tried. They were pretty sure that straight people didn't talk about candy prostitutes, and that meant that they were missing out. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	66. american petespress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhhhhh I can't count. I said on tumblr that the truth would be revealed 20 chapters later, which is a lie. It's 22 chapters later. So, chapter 68. And if you're better at math than me, you'll realise that 22 chapters ago... some pretty important things were revealed when a certain character wasn't around to hear/see them. 
> 
> Prepare yourselves. Because honey? You've got a big storm coming.

Josh and Pete were flirting again. Mikey supposed they should have been used to it at that point, but they weren't, and it was annoying. Why couldn't Pete just pull his head out of his ass and talk about his feelings? Hell, if he'd tried that, maybe he and Mikey wouldn't have fallen apart in the worst possible way. 

 

Mikey pulled out their phone, careful to keep it hidden in their music folder so that the chorus teacher couldn't see. 

 

- **mijey** created the group **i hate jete** -

 

- **mijey** added  **hetty_mcgee** ,  **spooncer** , and  **satan’s side ho** to  **i hate jete** -

 

**mijey** : why must they be like That

**hetty_mcgee** : i mean at least pete’s no longer up everyone's ass

**spooncer** : and it's fucking hilarious watching tyler get all pissy bc josh won't acknowledge him 

**hetty_mcgee** : omg yea

**hetty_mcgee** : i get that he's in the gsa and all but oh my goddddddd he's annoying

**hetty_mcgee** : “u kno the musicals not about u brendon” shut the fuck up it might as well be

**spooncer** : somehow i am the star but bren still has the spotlight

**mijey** : u guys are off topic

**mijey** : josh and pete need to be stopped

**spooncer** : they're no worse than dal and i were before we started dating

**mijey** : r they

**hetty_mcgee** : dallon either made the “i’m gonna blow u in the bathroom” hand motion or the “get the fuck off ur phone” signal can’t tell

spooncer: make it back see how they react

**mijey** : have u 2 ever stayed on topic in ur life

**hetty_mcgee** : me, an adhd gremlin

**mijey** : dollar in the jar

**hetty_mcgee** : heterophobia

 

Mikey locked their phone and looked up at the chorus director, because Dallon had a point and they needed to pay attention. Or Brendon was right and they were thinking about blowjobs in the middle of rehearsal. Either way, Mikey needed to get off of their phone. 

 

They kept watching Josh and Pete, though. Pete was hard to ignore, with his freshly re-dyed pink hair and his studded hoodie. And Josh’s hair was now red, sticking up in a chaotic mohawk. It looked like he’d set his head on fire and wasn’t concerned about it for some reason. Mikey wondered what would happen if they actually set Josh’s head on fire. 

 

Mikey frowned at themself, biting down on their thumbnail and ripping it off. They were jealous of Josh for no reason. Mikey and Pete were done, finished, never going to have anything again, because Pete couldn’t communicate and Mikey never asked the right questions. 

 

They made it through rehearsal and the ride home fine, but they felt off. Their chest was all wound up and there was a knot in their throat. Their room was empty, and Mikey hated it because they missed Gee and it was their fault she was in the hospital. If they hadn’t told Lindsey that Gee was cheating on it, then Gee wouldn’t have gotten so depressed and drunk and taken painkillers and she wouldn’t be in the hospital. 

 

Mikey laid down on their bed and cried for an hour or so. Everything felt numb. They grabbed a pillow and screamed, throwing it at the wall. Pete didn’t love them, their sister was a mess because Mikey couldn’t keep their mouth shut, Frank hated them for the same reason--everything was falling apart. Gabe didn’t even want to date Mikey. She was only doing it so that Mikey and Brendon could be petty. 

 

They threw another pillow. And another, and another. Everything was a mess. Their room was trashed, and they’d probably get yelled at for making a mess, but Mikey didn’t care. They were angry. They were sad. Their body was vibrating with emotion and they were shaking, gritting their teeth and wishing there was somewhere they could go. 

 

Everything was too close. Nothing was sacred anymore, because everything had a memory attached to it and Mikey didn’t want to remember shit. They didn’t want to go to the park because that was where they’d had sex with Pete the first time. Mikey didn’t want to go anywhere near school, because too much happened at school. They were entirely alone, with nowhere to go, and no one to go to. 

 

**bihalsey** : i kno this is the gay chat but there are Certain People who are far too gay for their own good

**fuckchristmas** : it’s dallon

**satan’s side ho** : It’s not me. 

**hetty_mcgee** : says the binch who made blowjob motions in rehearsal

**satan’s side ho** : I was telling you, Spencer, and Mikey to get off your fucking phones before you got caught. How does that look like a blowjob.

**bihalsey** : everything looks like a blowjob if you try hard enough

**hurleyxvx** : there’s a sex joke in there somewhere… i can feel it

**fuckchristmas** : it’s probably not that hard to feel out…………

**hurleyxvx** : joe i know we’ve been friends for years but i hate you

**fuckchristmas** : join the club lmao

**bihalsey** : we’re already in a club

**bihalsey** : but hey, why not start the Depression Club

**fuckchristmas** : make it a mentally ill squad so that we don’t just cry all the time

**bihalsey** : my hypomanic ass will be there then

**fuckchristmas** : wait are you bipolar then?

**bihalsey** : yea my mom says it’s just hormones tho :////

**fuckchristmas** : then fuck ur mom

**hetty_mcgee** : change ur name to that

 

- **fuckchristmas** changed their name to  **fuck_ashleys_mom** -

 

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : no longer out of season

**satan’s side ho** : Somehow, you’ve made it worse.

**hetty_mcgee** : its an improvement dal

**djspookyjim** : i know i’m like an hour late but who’re the Too Gay ones

**bihalsey** : uhh u and peter duh

**djspookyjim** : omg ash we’re not dating

**bihalsey** : yet *eyes emoji*

**hurleyxvx** : u know u could just… add that in

**bihalsey** : i have an android

**hetty_mcgee** : androids have emojis???

**bihalsey** : shh

**bihalsey** : but yeah josh u and pete are hella not straight

**djspookyjim** : shush pete’s in this fucking chat

**p_wheezy** : ive been summoned ;)

**hurleyxvx** : yeah pete that’s gay

**p_wheezy** : im not gay i’m josh-sexual

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : thats not a thing

**p_wheezy** : shut the hell ur fuck i’m valid

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : ur not a credit card pete u can’t be valid

 

- **p_wheezy** changed the name of the group to  **american petespress** -

 

**hurleyxvx** : i need new friends

**p_wheezy** : shut up u love us

**mijey** : i agree with andy u guys fucking suck 

**hetty_mcgee** : see if i ever bring you starbucks again

**mijey** : i am an independent bitch and i can get my own starbucks 

**satan’s side ho** : Keep telling yourself that. 

 

There was a knock on Mikey's door, and they locked their phone and tossed it on what was left of their bed before answering it. Lena was on the other side, looking worried with her hands folded over her chest. Mikey glanced over their shoulder. Their room was a mess, now that they thought about it. And they hadn't been quiet when they were having their breakdown, either. They pushed their glassed up their nose. “Hi Lena.”

 

“Are you doing okay down here?” she asked. “Your mother and I heard some loud noises from upstairs.”

 

“I'm okay…” Mikey said, swallowing the lump in their throat. They wanted to tell Lena what was going on, but they didn't know if they could trust her. Mikey hated that they didn't have any adults they could come out to other than Mr. Armstrong. He was cool, but he was only a teacher and there was only so much that he could do. Mikey wanted a parent. They wanted to be able to talk to someone about feeling dysphoria, and hating their chest and wanting to look like a hot, genderless dude person. 

 

Lena pulled Mikey into a hug, and as soon as they were pressed against her, they started bawling. Mikey didn't mean to, and they were terrified that they were having a second breakdown in front of their grandma, but they couldn't stop the tears from falling. 

 

Lena pet Mikey’s hair, soothing them and rocking back and forth gently in the doorway. Mikey just held on, and didn’t try to speak. They needed this, even though they hadn’t realised it until now. They were a mess, and they weren’t okay, and they needed someone to hold on to. Mikey sniffed and pulled away from their grandmother for a moment, to look up at her. They rubbed at their face, smearing the eyeliner Brendon had put on them that morning. “I’m… I’m not okay. Actually.”

 

“Do you want to talk about it with me?” Lena asked. 

 

Mikey nodded. Lena followed them into their and Gee’s room, sitting down on Gee’s bed while Mikey sat on their own. Mikey took a deep breath, trying to control themself. “It’s my fault Gee’s in the hospital.”

 

“No, Mikey, it’s not. Gee has a lot going on, and he needs help. Nothing happening with your brother is your fault,” she said. Mikey knew she was trying her best, but she didn’t know the whole truth. 

 

Mikey shook their head, and started talking. They changed the pronouns when they had to, because they didn’t want to out Gee or Lindsey to Lena, and they didn’t mention that Frank was a boy. Mikey didn’t know how Lena felt about gay people, and they didn’t want to make Gee’s situation worse. 

 

“...and if I hadn’t said anything, then Gee wouldn’t have felt horrible and Lindsey wouldn’t have broken up with Gee, and none of this would be happening,” Mikey ended. They were sure that their face was a mess, from all the crying and screaming they’d been doing. They couldn’t bring themself to care, though. 

 

“I know I’ve only met Lindsey once, but she seemed like a smart cookie. Do you really think she wouldn’t have found out?” Lena asked. She sat forward. “Mikey, if the situation was reversed and Lindsey caught your boyfriend--Gabe? Was it?--cheating on you with one of your other friends, wouldn’t you want to know? Even if it made Gabe upset?”

 

“Well, yeah, but Lindsey and Gabe aren’t related,” Mikey said. 

 

“Blood isn’t everything,” Lena said. “Family’s stab each other in the back to save face all the time. But friends? They care about each other’s well-being more than how they look to outsiders.”

 

“Do you think Gee’ll ever not hate me?” Mikey asked. They felt like they were six years old and they’d broken one of Gee’s action figures. Except, this situation was a lot bigger, and it sucked a lot worse because they were totally alone for the first time and they didn’t know what to do without their sister around. 

 

“I’m sure he’ll come around,” Lena said. “You two are friends, after all. I’m sure you’ll be fine, and Gee will understand that he shouldn’t go around kissing other girls when he has a perfectly good girlfriend already. Not everyone is that lucky.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also if you want a ~spoiler~ for some of the things happening in 68, go read Four Way Trainwreck. I can't do math, but I can unintentionally foreshadow like a mother-fucker.
> 
> And, please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! thanks for reading!


	67. 2064 Polaris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo soy Satan. 
> 
> I'm taking a Spanish course this semester and so far this is what I've learned how to say. Also, next chapter is the Bad One, so prepare yourselves.

“You look like you could use this,” Spencer said as he dropped down beside Mikey. The two of them were sitting outside of the chorus room, waiting for everyone else to arrive so that they could go in. Spencer had two cups of Starbucks coffee in his hands, and his hair looked windblown. 

 

Mikey took the cup they were being offered and sniffed it. It smelled like hazelnut. “Did you go out and get these?”

 

“Yeah,” Spencer said. “I skipped last period.”

 

Mikey frowned. “Why?”

 

“I was helping Ray with something,” Spencer said. He took a sip of his own coffee, and jerked back when it was too hot. “She needed me to play look out, and it’s not like pre-cal is important anyway. I already know what they’re talking about; my dad’s a fucking math professor.”

 

“I wish I had that,” Mikey said. “I just have Ray’s old notes from when she was in my math level.”

 

“It’s better than nothing,” Spencer said. He reached up and brushed his bangs with his hand, trying to fix them. Mikey leaned over and did it for him, since they could actually see what they were doing. Spencer’s hair was surprisingly soft. It felt like petting a cat. 

 

Spencer coughed, pressing his face to the sleeve of his jacket. “Anyway. Are you doing anything this weekend?”

 

“Probably not,” Mikey said. 

 

“What, you and Gabe don’t have any plans?” Spencer raised an eyebrow, smiling at Mikey like they’d missed something important. Mikey frowned back at Spencer for a moment before their eyes suddenly widened in realisation. This weekend was the weekend before Valentine’s day. Mikey and Gabe hadn’t planned anything because they weren’t really dating and Gabe had his own two datemates to do stuff with. Mikey was planning to spend the weekend eating pretzels and watching old Disney cartoons on their laptop. 

 

Spencer laughed. “Oh my God, you forgot.”

 

“Shut up, we haven’t been dating that long,” Mikey said, pushing Spencer away. “And besides, Gabe has Willow and Travie. He probably won’t notice if my Valentine’s gift is a little late.”

 

“I think he will, since you’re the new kid and everything,” Spencer said. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “Whatever. I’ll figure something out. What are you three doing this weekend?”

 

“Trying to convince Brendon’s parents to let her out of the house,” Spencer said. He sighed. Mikey’d forgotten how hard it was for Brendon to hang out with her friends if school wasn’t involved. 

 

Mikey smiled sympathetically. “Maybe they’ll be nice? Since it’s the weekend?”

 

“Doubt it. Whenever you need her mom and dad to cooperate, they don’t,” Spencer said. He rolled his eyes, as though this wasn’t the first time he’d come to the conclusion that life sucked. He picked off a piece of the cup holder on his coffee and tossed it out into the hallway. “But who knows. Maybe I’m wrong and they’ll let Brendon have a normal life for once.”

 

“You’ll be together on the actual day, though,” Mikey said. “That’s not too bad.”

 

“Yeah,” Spencer said. He looked up at Mikey. His eyes were really blue. Like,  _ really _ blue. Mikey didn’t know that people could have eyes that blue. It should have been genetically impossible, because Mikey had lived through Gee’s anime art phase and remembered her crying one night because some jerk on the internet said that people couldn’t have pure blue eyes. 

 

Spencer waved his hand in front of Mikey’s face. “Dude. You’re staring and it’s weird.”

 

“I spaced out,” Mikey said, because they had. They hadn’t realised that they’d been staring at Spencer the whole time, or they would have looked away, because they didn’t like making eye contact with people. 

 

“It happens,” Spencer said. “Wanna go inside?”

 

Mikey nodded. The choir room chairs were more comfortable than sitting on the floor, even though Mikey would be sitting away from most of their friends. They still had Ashley, who was pretty awesome. 

 

She was already in her seat, making faces at her phone. She tilted her camera towards Mikey, and they were faced with themself on snapchat, donning the dog filter. Mikey stuck their tongue out quickly, and Ashley laughed before ending the little video. “I’m sending this to Lynn, by the way. I don’t put my friends on my story unless they’re already following me.”

 

“Are you following me?” Mikey asked, because they weren’t sure. Ashley shook her head, and the two of them quickly exchanged snapchats before the chorus teacher came into the room and started the rehearsal. Mikey wished choir rehearsal was more like drama, because they didn’t sing in every song, and they spent a lot of time being bored and wishing they could talk to Lindsey or Brendon or one of their other friends. 

 

Mikey doodled a little Kobra Kid in the corner of their music. They weren’t as good of an artist as Gee, but they could draw when they put their mind to it. Kobra Kid was bored, sitting on the edge of the treble staff and glaring up at the page number. His helmet was resting on top of his head, except Mikey had messed up and the helmet was way too big for Kobra. Mikey winced. There wasn’t much they could do about that. 

 

Josh and Tyler came up to Ashley and Mikey at the end of rehearsal. Tyler had his basketball bag slung over one shoulder and was twisting it around in his hands. “Hey, Ash, are you gonna make it to the basketball party? Jenna’ll be there, she doesn’t want to be the only girl, though.”

 

“Yeah, probably,” Ashley said. “Where is it again? And what time tomorrow?”

 

“It’s at Ben’s house,” Tyler said. “Twenty sixty-four Polaris, I think. I can send you the invitation on Facebook?”

 

“I dunno,” Ashley said. She made a face. “Jocks are annoying.”

 

“Pete’s coming,” Josh said. His eyes flicked over towards the door, and Mikey followed his gaze to see Pete standing there. Pete grinned and winked, but it wasn’t at Mikey. It was at Josh. Josh was watching Pete the same way Dallon would look at Brendon and Spencer. “You’ll know people. And I can give you a ride if you need one, too.”

 

“Maybe,” Ashley said. “If my mom’s working, I can’t, because I have to take care of my brothers, but if she’s off, I’ll let you know.”

 

“Awesome!” Tyler said. He glanced past Ashley, as if noticing Mikey for the first time. “Oh, hey, Mikey. What’s up?”

 

“Nothing,” Mikey said. They didn’t want to get invited to the party anyway. It’d be more time around Pete, and watching him and Josh act all gross around each other. Mikey had better things to do. “Gabe and I haven’t made plans yet.”

 

“So are you two dating then?” Tyler asked. “Like, romantically? Or sexually or what?”

 

“We’re dating,” Mikey said, frowning slightly. They didn’t know if Tyler was implying something, but they didn’t like it regardless. “Like,  _ dating  _ dating.”

 

“So you kiss and stuff?”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said. They pulled out their phone, even though they knew they wouldn’t have gotten a message from their mom yet. “My mom just texted me. I have to go. I’ll see you guys on Monday, though, at GSA.”

“I’m bringing food,” Ashley said, and Mikey gave her a thumbs up. Food was always good. They grabbed their backpack and their gym bag and dropped their music folder off before leaving the chorus room. They were shaking a little, overheated from being indoors for too long. That, and the anxiety that had hit them from out of nowhere. 

 

Mikey almost ran into Dallon on their way out. Dallon reached an arm out, keeping Mikey from falling over. “You okay?”

 

“Awkward conversation,” Mikey said, standing back up on their own. “I just needed some air, I guess.”

 

“I get that,” Dallon said. They rubbed the back of their neck. “Do you think I could sneak flowers past Brendon’s parents?”

 

“Probably not, but you could give them to her on Monday and sign them with, like,  _ secret admirer _ or something so that her parents wouldn’t ask a bunch of questions about it,” Mikey suggested. They’d never been in a position where they’d had to hide their relationship from their parents, but they figured that that was a solid idea. It’d allow Brendon to BS her way out of answering her parents’ questions, if they did ask anything. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos and feel free to say hi/yell at me on tumblr! (@fluffydallon)


	68. January 2nd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet

Mikey posted the next page of the killjoys comic. They weren’t sure if they were allowed to, since Gee was in the hospital, but it was too early for them and Gee to get off-track. Mikey just made sure the readers knew that they were a different person from Gee, but that they knew all of the background in the comic. 

 

Luckily, Gee had a lot of sketches and lined panels saved on her laptop. Most of what Mikey did was just colouring things in. Mikey could colour. 

 

Mikey’d been trying to text people all day, but no one was online. They all had better things to be doing, obviously. Mikey was pathetic and single, even though everyone thought they had Gabe. They did, but not when it mattered. Gabe was with Travie and Willow, and the three of them were having fun, but Mikey wasn’t going to be the asshole who interrupted their date. Mikey wasn’t like that. 

 

Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer were trying to meet up with each other. Ray was doing whatever Spencer’d been helping her with on Friday, Lindsey was M.I.A. for some reason, and Mikey didn’t want to talk to Frank at the moment. Things were still awkward between the two of them. 

 

Mikey sighed. Their hand hurt from colouring all afternoon. They looked down at their phone, realising that they’d never gone back to see all the messages they missed over winter break. Sure, nothing important had happened, because no one had told them about anything, but it would be something to do. 

 

Mikey opened their phone to kik, and started scrolling. Their friends really did use the group chat a lot. 

 

_ January 2st, 2017. 2:06 AM _

**fuckchristmas** : quick update from new york: pete has misplaced all but one of his pants and he’s starting to smell

 

Mikey laughed a little at that, thinking about Pete running around a house in New York, threatening people with smelly pants. They stopped laughing soon after, though, when they got to Pete antagonising Bendon about her ex. And Brendon was antagonising Pete back, talking about him sleeping with Ryan and being a creep towards his crush.

**brebdo** : ok so i’m a slut? so what? at least i don’t STALK my crush on the internet for MONTHS and make up a cool persona to seduce them only to never admit it in real life

**dadtree** : Oh my God. Brendon, what are you doing?

**brebdo** : the obvious

**brebdo** : @mieky

 

Mikey stared at their phone. Mikey then dropped their phone.

 

_ mikey whenever you check this chat: pete’s been your twitter crush this whole time, he’s known it was u since the summer when he saw you and asked around until he figured a way into your life _

 

Mikey deleted their twitter app and logged out of their account on Gee’s laptop, while they were at it. Then they thought about it for a second, logged back in, and blocked Pete’s account. And then they went onto their snapchat and got rid of him there too. Mikey was shaking, gripping their phone in their hands and not sure what to do now. Were they supposed to show back up on Monday like nothing had happened? Why hadn’t anyone else checked to see if Mikey knew about Pete?

 

Mikey took a deep breath. They walked upstairs to the kitchen, but no one was there. Their parents and Lena were in the living room, watching some HGTV show, probably thinking that Mikey was downstairs. 

 

Mikey grabbed the house phone and returned to the basement. They googled the hospital where Gee was staying and then dialled it on the house phone. Mikey set their phone down and pressed the other one to their ear. It rang and it rang, with static pouring in around the silence. Mikey bit at the nail on their pinky finger, ripping it off and spitting it at the ground. 

 

“Evansville State Hospital, this is Jamie, how may I help you?” a friendly sounding voice said, cutting through the ringing. 

 

“Um,” Mikey said, because they hadn’t expected anyone to answer. It was almost ten at night. Most places closed at ten. “Uh. I have. My brother is here?”

 

“Okay, sweetie, we’re going to need your brother’s name,” she said through the phone. 

 

“Gee--Gerard. Gerard Way,” Mikey said. They bit off another fingernail. “He’s sixteen?”

 

“Yes, he’s in the young adult wing,” she said. “Give me just a moment, and I’ll see if he’s able to take a call. Can I get your name?”

 

“Mikey,” they said. “I’m his sister.”

 

“Alright, Mikey, it’ll be just a moment,” she said. There was a soft click, and then Mikey was listening to soothing elevator music. It wasn’t soothing, though, because it was too boring and predictable, and it didn’t hold Mikey’s attention. They were still thinking about Pete. They were thinking about why they wanted to call Gee, too, because what if she didn’t want to talk to them? What if Gee was still upset, and blamed Mikey for everything?

 

“Mikey?” Gee’s voice said through the phone. 

 

“Gee?” Mikey echoed back, because that was their sister’s voice. “It’s me. Are you… how are you?”

 

“Really fuking weird--sorry,” she said, with the last word sounding distant, like it was directed at someone else. “You don’t hate me, do you?”

 

“What? No, of course not,” Mikey said. “Do you hate me?”

 

“No. I did, a little bit, when I first got here,” Gee said. “But I mean, you were right. And mostly I hate myself. How’s Lindsey?”

 

“They’re doing okay,” Mikey said. “They’re blonde now.”

 

“I think I was there when that happened,” Gee said. She sighed, a large burst of static running through the phone. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t really there, for a while. And I’m sorry if I scared you or anything. I think I’m--I’m really messed up.”

 

“It’s okay, Gee,” Mikey said. “You’re still my sister, and I still love you.”

 

“Thanks, Mikes. I love you too, buddy,” Gee said. There was a moment of silence between the two of them, but it didn’t feel awkward. Gee took a deep breath. “I want to go home.”

 

“I want you to come home,” Mikey said. It might have been selfish to want that, but Mikey didn’t care. Gee was messed up, but she didn’t need to be in a hospital. She needed her parents to love her, and to have someone listen to her when she got all weird. Mikey swallowed. “Whenever you’re ready. I miss you.”

 

“I miss you too,” Gee said. “College is gonna suck.”

 

Mikey frowned. “What?”

 

“College,” Gee repeated. “Because I’m gonna leave, and go to some art school, and I won’t have you around and it’ll be weird. Like, this is temporary, and I know that, but college is forever.”

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “College is four years.”

 

“So, forever,” Gee said. 

 

“Why are you like this?”

 

“According to the doctors, I have depression and some other issue with a weird name,” Gee said. “I wasn’t really paying attention.”

 

“That… sucks?” Mikey said. They were glad that Gee had an idea of what was going on with her, but it still sucked. Depression sucked. Unknown disorders with weird names sucked on principle. Mikey swallowed. “Is there… is there anything I can do? To, like, make it easier. I don’t know.”

 

“I don’t think so,” Gee said. “I’m glad you called, though. I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

 

“I’m glad you don’t hate me, too,” Mikey said. They smiled a little, even though there was a sinking feeling in their chest. It had nothing to do with Gee and everything to do with Pete. He was out there. He was @pwheezie and he was out there and he hadn’t said anything about it to anyone, but everyone knew and no one had told Mikey. Mikey sniffed, holding back a sudden sob. “Hey, Gee?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Did you know that Pete was @pwheezie?”

 

“Shit,” Gee said, which was the only answer Mikey needed. “Mikes, I’m so sorry, I was gonna tell you, or at least warn you or something, but like everything started falling apart and then I ended up here and--”

 

“Gee,” Mikey said. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you for not telling me. I get it. I’m just… I don’t know how I feel.”

 

“Do you still like them?” Gee asked. 

 

Mikey thought about it for a moment. “No. I don’t think so. I’m too angry, though. I don’t really know what I think.”

 

“Well just… don’t do anything stupid. I know that sounds weird, coming from me, but… learn from your elders, okay?” Gee said. “I have to go, but promise me you won’t do anything dumb?”

 

“I’ll try,” Mikey said, because they didn’t know what they’d do. The future was uncertain, and while Gee was away, there was no one for Mikey to bounce bad ideas off of. They had no wingman, which meant they had no one to tell them when to back off, and they were flying solo. It wasn’t what they were used to, and they were pretty sure they sucked at making decisions alone. “I’ll call you, later. Like, on Tuesday or something.”

 

“Awesome,” Gee said. “Bye, Mikey.”

 

“Bye Gee,” Mikey said, and waited for her to hang up first. They set their phone down, pulled up Google maps, and typed in the address of the party where Pete was supposed to be at. Mikey didn’t have a plan, except that they did, and it was most likely a bad plan, but Mikey was too pissed to care that much about making good decisions, even though they’d just promised Gee not to do anything dumb. 

 

The address was relatively close. Mikey grabbed a pair of jeans from the floor, as well as a t-shirt that was starting to get too small. They grabbed their jacket and their set of house keys and headed out through the garage. Hopefully their parents and Lena wouldn’t come down and check on them while they were out. 

 

It was cold, and a little windy. Mikey regretted not bringing a heavier coat, but they were already out of their house and on their way to the party. It was too late to turn back. They crossed their arms over their chest, shivered, and walked faster. It was dark out, and the roads were mostly empty. 

 

Mikey got stuck on the side of the highway for a bit, because the cars kept coming and they weren’t going slow. Mikey didn’t want to get run over. They had a party to crash. Eventually, though to the median, and then to the other side. There was a fence that they had to hop, but they were wearing thick-soled boots and so it wasn’t an issue. 

 

They stepped onto Polaris Avenue and looked down the street. Mikey could faintly hear music playing from a house, and they followed the noise to where a handful of cars were parked out on the street and up the driveway. 

 

The garage doors were open, and two girls were jumping up and down on one of the cars, singing along badly to whatever was playing. Some guy was cheering for them to take their shirts off. Mikey rolled their eyes and pushed through the crowd, dropping their jacket behind the couch propping the door into the house open. 

 

They spotted Josh first. He was with Ashley and Tyler, and two other guys Mikey didn’t know. They didn’t notice Mikey, thankfully. Mikey wasn’t there for any of them. They were there for Pete. 

 

Pete was over by the kitchen, talking and laughing with people that Mikey didn’t know. Mikey squared their shoulders and walked over, maneuvering around people who got in their way. They tapped Pete on the arm. “Hey.”

 

“Mikey?” Pete said, looking up at Mikey with surprise. “Hey! When’d you get here?”

 

“Just now,” Mikey said, and kissed him, hard. Pete kissed back, at first, holding onto Mikey’s waist, but suddenly he stopped and pushed Mikey back. Mikey frowned. “What?”

 

“Aren’t you and Gabe dating?” Pete asked. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. Of course,  _ now  _ Pete was going to grow a conscious and start thinking about the consequences of his actions. “Who told you that?”

 

“Brendon.”

 

“And why would you believe Brendon?” Mikey said. “She lives for drama. Gabe and I aren’t really dating.”

 

“So…” Pete said. He looked over Mikey’s shoulder, and Mikey followed his gaze over to Josh. Josh still hadn’t looked over at them. Mikey wondered what would happen if he did. Pete looked back at Mikey. “So are you here for me?”

 

“Pretty much,” Mikey said. “We ended things badly. I want to make it up to you.”

 

“Dude, she’s basically throwing herself at you, are you shitting me?” one of the guys standing with Pete said. He looked Mikey up and down, and winked at them. “Hey legs, you really know how to pick ‘em. Pete’s a fucking menace.”

 

“Shut up,” Pete said, but he was still in jock mode and he was still more of a douche than usual. He grabbed Mikey’s hand. “Do you wanna fuck?”

 

“Sure,” Mikey said, shrugging. “Why not?”

 

“I mean, I was gonna--” Pete started, and then trailed off, looking over at Josh. Then at his sports friends. It suddenly dawned on Mikey why Pete was here. He didn’t want to party, or get drunk and dance with his friends. He wanted to hang out with Josh, find a quiet corner, and ask him out. And now, Mikey was here, as the vengeful, horny ex, and they were going to mess everything up. 

 

“You can do that later,” Mikey said, before Pete could get over his fear of being gay around his sports friends. “There’s always tomorrow, but I’m here, now.”

 

“Don’t be a pussy, Wentz, come on,” one of the other guys said. 

 

“I’m not a fucking pussy,” Pete spat back. He held onto Mikey tighter, but he was still looking over at Josh. Mikey grabbed his face and kissed him again, pulling Pete in close. Pete kissed back, because neither of them were good at giving up. When Mikey bit at Pete’s lip and he moaned a little, Mikey knew they had him. 

 

They headed upstairs together, and into the first empty bedroom. Pete pulled Mikey down on top of him, and they undressed each other frantically. Pete slid the condom on and Mikey slid down on Pete, kissing and biting at his mouth as he held their hips. Mikey couldn’t stop looking at Pete as they fucked down on him, thinking of all the other times they’d been together and how they used to wish they were really with Pete, and not just a secret. They thought about how Pete had been flirting with them, online in real life, and Mikey had never known about the former. They thought about how Pete knew everything, and never said anything, and they fucked faster, angrier, wanting it to be over but wanting it to last long enough that they got caught. 

 

Pete bit back a scream when he came, his eyes squeezed shut and his muscles tense. Mikey gave him two seconds before pulling off and taking off the condom. 

 

Pete was still lying on the bend while Mikey got dressed. He was staring at the ceiling, breathing deep, raspy breaths, and Mikey was putting on their jeans. They looked over at Pete, and Pete turned his head to look at them with soft golden eyes. He turned over onto his side. “What, you’re leaving already?”

 

“Yeah, I have places to go,” Mikey said as they finished tying their shoes. They stood up and brushed their hair down over their forehead. “See you later, @pwheezie.”

 

Mikey saw the look of horror and recognition slide down onto Pete’s face as they left the room, but they didn’t turn back and they didn’t apologise. It was over. They’d done it, and they couldn’t go back. 

 

Andy was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with Mikey’s jacket. Mikey stopped, halfway down the staircase, and looked at Andy. Andy uncrossed his arms and lifted the jacket up towards where Mikey was standing. “I know what you did. You’re going to want this, when you leave.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So that happened. But it's not over because since when do I put all the pain in one chapter? I'm too chaotic fuck for that. 
> 
> Please leave all death threats and screams in the form of kudos/comments!


	69. Chapter 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brought to you by capitalism. Because I had to work today, the day Spencer Smith turned 30 years old and became a legal DILF, and I also had to miss the DragonCon parade. Both of these are acts of homophobia, and thus you guys will have to suffer with me. 
> 
> Blame capitalism. Always blame capitalism.

Mikey stepped down, slowly, not breaking eye contact, and took the jacket. Andy went right back to having his arms folded over his chest. He had really strong arms. Mikey was slightly afraid. “What do you mean?”

 

“Pete was a dick not to tell you who they were, yeah, but that doesn’t give you the right to march in here and make out with them right in front of Josh,” Andy said. “Pete was finally moving on from you, and all the shit you pulled with them, and then you do this? What the fuck is wrong with you, Mikey?”

 

“I don’t--”

 

“Shut up,” Andy snapped. It was the first time they’d seen him actually angry. “Pete was in love with you, did you know that? And you dragged them along, constantly avoiding a real relationship, and then ghosting them for a month before they finally lost interest. Fuck, Mikey, you can’t just play with people’s feelings like that! I know Pete fucked up, but you need to get your shit together. Either be done with Pete, permanently, or use your fucking words.”

 

Mikey nodded, wondering just how badly they’d fucked everything up this time. They weren’t expecting this. They weren’t expecting anyone else getting involved. This was just supposed to be between them and Pete. 

 

“And while you’re figuring out what you want?” Andy said, raising an eyebrow. “Go fuck yourself. And stop being so fucking selfish when it comes to my friends.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Mikey said. They held their jacket closer to themself. “I didn’t think--”

 

“I know you didn’t think,” Andy said. He shook his head. “That’s how this shit always happens. Just… get out. I don’t want to deal with you when I’ve already got my friend and their almost boyfriend to deal with.”

 

Mikey nodded, and bolted down the stairs, past Andy. They pulled on their coat as they moved, and made it to the end of the driveway before they had to drop down and press their hands to their face to stop themself from crying. They were an idiot. They only made things worse. 

 

They pulled out their phone.

 

-private message to  **spooncer** -

 

**mijey** : hey i need a ride home 

**spooncer** : are you okay?

**mijey** : idk i just wanna go home and don’t wanna walk

**spooncer** : give me the address i’ll come get you

**spooncer** : r u gonna be ok until i get there

**mijey** : yeah thanks

**spooncer** : no problem

 

Mikey let out a sigh and leaned against the mailbox. They could hear the party going on in the background, with the sounds of people cheering spilling out into the night. Mikey shivered, pulling their jacket closer around them. The thing was, Andy was right. Mikey had taken it too far, and now Pete was hurt, and nothing had been fixed. Mikey’d just fucked everything up, and they wanted to go home and hide under their covers and cry it all out. 

 

Mikey didn’t know how long it would take for Spencer to get there, and the longer they were outside, the worst they felt. They should have just walked home. Mikey shouldn’t have dragged Spencer into their mess, because Spencer was a good person and he had better things to do. Probably. He had Dallon and Brendon, and it was the weekend before Valentine’s Day, and Mikey could think of at least a dozen things that Spencer’d rather be doing than driving through the outskirts of Evansville at night. 

 

They slid down so that they were sitting on the ground, and waited. A few people spilled in and out, but none of them acknowledged Mikey. 

 

Finally, a pair of headlights came flying down the street, stopping at the house. They shone directly on Mikey, and didn’t turn off as the door opened and Spencer hopped out. Worry was etched into the shadows of his face, and the shadows only became more prominent as he approached Mikey. He had the hood of his fuzzy jacket flipped up over his head, but he started unzipping it as he walked over. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying?”

 

“I don’t know,” Mikey said. That was a lie. They were not okay, but they didn’t want to talk about it yet. At least not with Spencer. They weren’t sure he’d get it, or worse, he’d sympathise with Mikey and agree that Pete was a dick. 

 

“Here,” Spencer said, shrugging his jacket off entirely. “It’s warm, I promise.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikey said, draping the jacket over their shoulders. They weren’t cold, but they didn’t know how to argue back. They didn’t want to, either. 

 

They followed Spencer back into his car, and took his jacket off once the doors were closed. The radio was low, with 96.9 flashing in a dull, aqua green colour while the Silversun Pickup’s  _ Nightlight  _ played on. If Mikey weren’t so messed up, it would be a beautiful night. Spencer’s dull, golden headlights were the only lights on, and the stars were out. It was beautiful. Mikey was just ugly. 

 

Mikey didn’t know where Spencer was driving, because it was too dark to see and Mikey had never been in this part of Evansville before. Spencer drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel, the muscles in his shoulders flexing in the dark as he steered. The car was quiet, calming, the exact opposite of that party on Polaris Avenue. 

 

He slowed down in front of a dark house. There was a sad looking child’s slide in the front yard, and the plastic slide had fallen off. Spencer was looking at it like he’d once been in that yard, and Mikey shivered. They didn’t touch Spencer’s jacket. Spencer kept the lights on. “You ever feel like someone from your past is like, still there?”

 

“What do you mean?” Mikey whispered. The radio was playing  _ Black Sun _ now, like it knew where Spencer and Mikey were and it knew what kind of night they were having together. “Who lived there?”

 

“Ryan,” Spencer said. Mikey should have known that. Ryan Ross was very much alive, in Seattle, but they were still a ghost. Ryan was the catalyst to so much of this, and even when they were thousands of miles away from Spencer and Brendon and everyone else, they were still here. Spencer swallowed. “I don’t think they went back, but I don’t know if I’m just wishing they’d left their dad, or if I can just tell something’s up.”

 

Mikey couldn’t answer that. They didn’t know Ryan Ross. They just knew their ghost, and the things they’d left behind. They stuck their legs out into the front of the car. “Do you wanna go inside?”

 

“Fuck no,” Spencer spat out, sitting up and putting the car back in drive. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, pressing the gas until he and Mikey were going over 60 miles an hour down the street. “I’m never touching that fucking house. Fuck that.”

 

Mikey frowned. “Are  _ you _ okay?”

 

“Is anyone?” Spencer said. It wasn’t answer, except that it was, and it reminded Mikey that they all had their own personal bullshit they were dealing with. None of their friends were okay, and that sucked, because Mikey didn’t know if there was anything they could do to make it better. They were just stuck, in a car next to Spencer, listening to a lovestruck man on the radio sing about a girl named Cecilia. Spencer slowed down, still going above the speed limit, and looked over at Mikey. “So, can I ask what happened?”

 

“I did something stupid,” Mikey said. They ripped off their fingernail with their teeth. Spencer didn’t say anything. He was just driving. Mikey took a deep breath. “I fucked Pete.”

 

Spencer slammed on the breaks. Mikey threw their hands out, bracing themself on the dashboard so that they didn’t hit their head. They barely had time to catch their breath before Spencer whirled around in his seat to face mikey. “You did  _ what _ ? Mikey, are you fucking shitting me right now? You’re dating Gabe, and you decided, what, fuck it, let’s ruin this relationship before it even starts and go fuck Pete  _ fucking  _ Wentz? What the  _ hell  _ were you thinking?”

 

“Uh,” Mikey started to say. 

 

Spencer shook his head. “No.  _ Nope _ . I am not dealing with this again. Get out. You’re walking, and I am going to go back to my house, not get fucking grounded-- _ again _ \--and pretend I know fuck all about the stupid decisions you make.”

 

“What do you mean you’re not dealing with this again?” Mikey asked. This was the first time they’d slept with Pete and called someone to pick them up afterwards. They weren’t planning on making a habit out of it. 

 

“Mikey.” Spencer sounded like he was in physical pain when he said their name. He buried his face in his hands. “You’re an idiot.”

 

“I know,” Mikey said. They opened the door, ignoring how the ringing alarm cut through the night and through the Killers on the radio. They zipped up their jacket and tossed Spencer’s back into his car, and closed the door. Spencer didn’t drive away. He was still sitting hunched over in the driver’s seat, his face hidden by his hands. Mikey didn’t walk away, either. They didn’t know why. It was cold and windy, and it was drizzling a little. It wasn’t cold enough that the rain was freezing, but it was cold enough that the rain was soaking through Mikey’s jacket and making them shiver. 

 

Spencer leaned over and pushed the car door open. “Get in. I’m not doing this because I’m okay with what you did. I’m doing this so I don’t get accused of leaving you out in the middle of nowhere to freeze your dumb ass off.”

 

Mikey nodded. “Thanks.”

 

Spencer clenched his jaw and revved the engine. “Shut up.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So that was fun! Please leave a comment/kudos to scream at me! I understand exactly why!


	70. screech

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to give chapter 69 a title, but now I'm just going to keep it as is. It's appropriate, because the sex number and also I'm a fucker with no real sense of humour. 
> 
> But on a more serious note. nohic is the only fic that I have on any kind of update schedule, and that's because I'm about three chapters ahead of where I'm posting (aka right now I'm working on 72), so I can space it out and update once every 5-7 days without much issue. Not all fics are like that. In fact, most writers are just writing whenever they fucking can, and so they may go weeks or months without updating. 
> 
> The point is, it's really rude to demand content from fic authors. We're doing all of this for free, and in our free time. And don't berate them, either, because that just makes writers sad and feel like their writing/work isn't appreciated. I'm pretty chill about most things, but if you guys want me to be nice and funny and all the things I try to be, then you guys also have to be nice. 
> 
> No yelling in the comments, tl;dr. Criticism/pointing out a typo I missed is fine, but don't yell at me unless I'm hurting your fave. I expect yelling then. I don't expect, or want, yelling because I "took too long" to get the next chapter up. I have a life, surprisingly. Let me live it.

-private message from  **hetty_mcgee** -

 

**hetty_mcgee** : mikey

**hetty_mcgee** : mikey what the fck

**hetty_mcgee** : why did spencer text gabe last night saying she needed to talk to you

**hetty_mcgee** : why did gabe text me screenshots of that convo asking me what the fuck was going on

**hetty_mcgee** : why do i /not/ know whats going on

 

-private message from  **satan’s side ho** -

 

**satan’s side ho** : Spencer’s pissed, Brendon’s yelling, and I don’t know what’s going on but I asked Bren and she said you would know?

**satan’s side ho** : Spencer’s /really/ pissed by the way.

 

-private message from  **hetty_mcgee** -

 

**hetty_mcgee** : i’m texting spence and dal and theyre both not saying shit

**hetty_mcgee** : MIKEY U DID WHAT

**hetty_mcgee** : WHY

**hetty_mcgee** : ARE YOU

**hetty_mcgee** : OH MY GOD THIS IS BAD

**hetty_mcgee** : IM SURE U ALREADY KNO THIS BUT UHHHHHHHH

**hetty_mcgee** : SPENCER DOESNT KNW U AND GABE ARENT 4 REAL

**hetty_mcgee** : MIKEY DALLON HAS A CAR U COULD HAVE GOTTEN THEM

**hetty_mcgee** : THIS IS TOO MUCH I NEED A FUCKING FACE MASK OR SOME SHIT

 

-private message from  **fangzout** -

 

**fangzout** : i’ve never seen brendon this stressed

**fangzout** : so kudos for that but also

**fangzout** : i told spence u and i are in an open relationship since i’m still with willow and travie

**fangzout** : but he’s still pissed

**fangzout** : ur problem i’m not touching that shitstorm with a ten foot pole

 

-private message from  **fuck_ashleys_mom** -

 

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i’ve been updated on what i missed over the weekend and holy shit

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : this is a shitstorm

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : ngl u shouldn’t have fucked pete but pete… should not have done like any of the shit they did

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : unrelated but pete’s now blonde it’s the only way i know how to deal with these situations

 

-private message from  **hetty_mcgee** -

 

**hetty_mcgee** : PETES BLONDE?????? MIKEY WHAT DID U DO

**hetty_mcgee** : how good are u at shady hate sex taht u can get a person to change his fucking hair colour

**hetty_mcgee** : like i kno i’ve been telling u to be a shady bitch but this is like a new level

**hetty_mcgee** : i need weed and a bath bomb immediately

**hetty_mcgee** : im currently yelling into my pillow

**hetty_mcgee** : this is too much

 

There were a lot of messages on Mikey’s phone. They didn’t know how to answer any of them, because everyone seemed to know what was going on as well as Mikey did, so it wasn’t as though Mikey could help them out. 

 

Mikey was, of course, a total idiot, and they refused to leave their room all weekend, claiming they weren’t feeling well. Their mom brought them soup, and on Sunday evening, Lena came down with a book and a lamp and hung out with Mikey. She didn’t talk to them much, but she was there, a silent form of comfort. Mikey accepted it for what it was, and they were grateful that they had Lena. She got them more than their parents did. 

 

On Monday morning, Mikey dragged themself out of bed and went through the motions of getting ready. They remembered to brush their teeth, surprisingly, and stared at themself in the mirror for about five minutes before their mom called down the stairs to let them know they had to catch the bus. 

 

“Fuck,” Mikey hissed under their breath, and skipped straightening their hair to grab their converse and put them on. They grabbed their backpack off the floor, shoving their books and papers into it, and then raced upstairs through the kitchn. 

 

“Mikey,” their mom called before they could get out the front door. “Remember to text me when your drama rehearsal gets out today if you can’t get a ride home, okay? Your dad is at work and I have to take Lena to the doctor’s, so I might not get there immediately.”

 

“Okay mom, bye,” Mikey said, and it wasn’t until they’d gotten to their bus stop that they realised they didn’t actually have drama rehearsal today. They had a GSA meeting, which was going to suck because Pete and Spencer both would be there, as well as Andy, who was also pissed at them, and Josh, who had probably decided over the weekend that Mikey was a bitch and a slut. He wouldn’t be wrong, either. 

 

Mikey put their headphones in and grabbed the first empty seat when the bus showed up. Today was going to suck. This whole week was probably going to suck. They tucked themself into the corner of the seat and sat their backpack up on the spot beside them so that no one would sit there. Mikey leaned back in their seat, turned up their music, and opened the group chat. They weren’t going to send anything, they just wanted to see what was going on.

 

**bihalsey** : guess who gets to skype their girlfriend tonight!! 

**zoid** : uh me

**hatrick** : i thought you and gee broke up? 

**hatrick** : not to bring up The Past i just thought that was a thing that had happened

**zoid** : o yeah we did

**zoid** : but i have a new gf now so ;P

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : never do that again also same

**zoid** : wait what why was i not made aware of this i thought we were friends

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : we are i’m just the least dramatic person ever

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i’m patricks bitch now she owns me

**hatrick** : not anymore i dont

**hatrick** : im not into that

**bihalsey** : so what did everyone hook up over the weekend

**hurleyxvx** : uh.

**bihalsey** : wait not like that

**bihalsey** : i meant romantically hooked up. no dicks involved

**zoid** : well when you put it that way then yes 

**bihalsey** : hashtag dickless hookup party

**bball_ace** : ashley i’m unfriending u on facebook

**bihalsey** : im not on facebook haha

**bball_ace** : well heck then idk what to do

 

The bus pulled to a stop in front of the school, and everyone started yelling as they all got up to get off. Mikey grabbed their things, stumbling amongst the other teenagers and trying not to hyperventilate because there were too many people and they were freaking out. They turned the volume up on their music, hoping that the sounds of the Ramones would keep them from having a panic attack. 

 

They spotted Frank on their way towards the building. He was leaned up against one of the trees near the side of the building, flicking at his lighter. There was a cigarette in his mouth, and he was scowling. 

 

Mikey walked over, pulling out one of their earbuds. “Hey Frank.”

 

“Aren’t you still pissed at me for sleeping with your sister?” Frank snapped. He was wearing two layers of gloves, and had a hoodie on over his hat. He was still shivering. 

 

“Not really,” Mikey said. They had other things to worry about. They held out their hand. “Do you want me to try?”

 

Frank looked up, his cigarette still in his mouth. “Uh, sure. I guess. Why are you suddenly being nice to me?”

 

“Drama sucks,” Mikey said, because they didn’t want to go into everything. They’d had a hectic weekend. They just wanted to do something easy, like help Frank light his cigarette while they were on school grounds and an administrator could walk over and see them at any moment. This was normal teenager stuff. This was fine. 

 

Frank inhaled and blew smoke out, pointing his face away from Mikey. “Yeah, no shit. Did you hear that Joe and Patrick are dating now?”

 

“They are?” Mikey asked. They hadn’t seen anything about it in the groupchat. Now that they were back in it, they made sure to keep up with what was going on there. 

 

“Well, they are on Joe’s Facebook,” Frank said, shrugging. He picked at a bit of black nail polish that had started to chip away. “I don’t think you can get any more official than Facebook official. That’s just how the kids do it these days.”

 

“Frank, you’re fifteen.”

 

“Shut up, I’m an old man at heart,” Frank said, grinning wide enough that his teeth were showing. Mikey felt a wave of relief wash over them. Yes, Frank was still a dumbass for having sex with Gee, but he and Mikey were okay again. Frank was a cool guy, even when he was an impulsive asshole. Mikey didn’t want to lose him. 

 

The two of them hung out outside until the first bell rang, and then Frank stubbed his cigarette out on the brick wall and tossed the butt into the nearest trashcan. He and Mikey pushed through the crowd of kids still getting off the buses and into the school. Mikey still had one earbud in, and was still blasting their music. They turned it down a little, because they wanted to be able to hear things when they were twenty-five, but it was still pretty loud. 

 

They made it up to Mr. Armstrong’s classroom right as the late bell was ringing, and he gave them a judgemental look, but didn’t mark them down as being late. Mikey grinned. That was the best part of being on good terms with a teacher. They could get away with being a little late for class. 

 

Mikey wasn’t looking forward to gym class, since it was a weight lifting day, and they still hadn’t talked to Spencer since the party. They changed quickly, and headed out into the gym. Brendon was already out there, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and watching everyone else warily. Mikey sat down next to her, and nudged her shoulder. “You okay?”

 

“Bad morning,” Brendon said. Her bottom lip was split, with a nasty dark red scab sitting on it like a piercing. “My parents are pissed at me again.”

 

“Did they…” Mikey trailed off, not wanting to assume that Brendon was getting abused by her parents. There were a lot of people who could have given Brendon that split lip, unfortunately.

 

“No,” Brendon shook her head, and swallowed thickly. “I don’t wanna talk about it though, okay?”

 

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Mikey said. They pressed their shoulder against her again. “But I’m here for you, for whatever it’s worth.”

 

“Thanks,” Brendon said. She bumped her shoulder back against Mikey’s. 

 

“And I’m sorry for fucking everything up,” Mikey said. “With Pete, I mean. And probably with Spencer, I don’t know.”

 

“I’m not mad at you, Mikes. I mean, shit, I’ve done stupid things too, and you’ve always backed me up. And the rest of our friends will come around eventually. You and Pete had a really fucked up relationship going on, and a lot of the shit he did wasn’t okay,” Brendon said. She made a face, tapping one of her nails against her lower lip. “And yeah, fucking him wasn’t a good decision, but I mean… it’s Monday now. You can’t go back and change that, so you just have to own it now. You fucked Pete, you rattled everyone up, but life goes on.”

 

Mikey wondered if that was how she’d dealt with Ryan cheating on her, or having people call her a slut afterwards. They didn’t ask, though. Brendon looked upset enough, and Mikey didn’t want to bring up bad memories. 

 

They were smart enough to know that. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	71. (brendon urie voice) what's up, heteros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun things about being mildly popular: I get to shitpost and people actually appreciate it. 
> 
> Also, I would have uploaded this last night but my laptop decided to be a lil bitch and mass updated for about 5 hours straight. I'm not sure how long it was, actually. I just know that I started playing sims at like 8, went downstairs for about an hour at 9, came back up, played more sims, and then when I went to bed at midnight it was still updating. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

-private message from  **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** -

 

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : hey dude where r u sitting for lunch

**mieky** : idk

**mieky** : why

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : ash and i are hanging out in the art hallway. apparently u can eat here

**mieky** : ok i’ll b there

 

Mikey grabbed their tray and payed for their food, and then left the cafeteria to go to the art hall. It was close enough to the cafeteria that Mikey didn’t feel too weird about walking out, but they were still worried that they’d get caught by a teacher. 

 

Frank and Ashley were just sitting on the floor with their legs stretched out into the hall, eating their lunches and talking about something Mikey couldn’t make out. Frank looked up first, and waved at Mikey, motioning for them to join him and Ashley against the wall. Mikey dropped their backpack to the floor and carefully sat down beside Frank. “Do you guys do this a lot?”

 

“Yeah,” Ashley said. “The art teachers don’t care, as long as you don’t take food into the art rooms. They’re like, super chill.”

 

“How’d you even find out about this?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Luck,” Ashley said, shrugging. “I didn’t want to sit with Tyler and his basketball bros, and Frank didn’t think you wanted him hanging out at your table, so the two of us kind of bonded over that and ended up out here. And now you’re a part of the outcast club.”

 

Mikey didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, considering they were now mostly without friends, but they didn’t have a better option. Besides, Ashley and Frank were pretty cool. Mikey didn’t mind being stuck out here with them. 

 

Ashley’s phone buzzed on the ground beside her, and she rolled her eyes, flipping it over. “God, Tyler, could you be any more clingy.”

 

“What’s he want now?” Frank asked, leaning over closer to Ashley so that he could peer over her shoulder. 

 

“He’s worried that Josh hates him,” Ashley said. She shook her head and looked over at Mikey. “Tyler gets like this every time Josh shows interest in a guy, by the way. I know he’s QPPs with Jenna, but sometimes I wonder if he’s not as heteroromantic as he thinks he is.”

 

“You think Tyler has a thing for Josh?” Mikey asked, raising an eyebrow. They hadn’t noticed anything like that. If anything, Tyler just came across as someone who was insecure and worried that his friends secretly didn’t like him. 

 

Ashley shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

 

“Well, whatever he is, he needs to stop being such a whiny little bitch whenever you or Josh or Melanie have other friends,” Frank said. He narrowed his eyes. “How could anyone think that’s cool? He texted you like seven times.”

 

“He’s a double texter,” Ashley said, shrugging. She locked her phone and put it back down on the floor. She straightened out her shirt and bit into her pizza. Mikey picked up their own food, which wasn’t a pizza and was instead a sad looking turkey sandwich, and started eating their own lunch. They only had twenty minutes before the bell rang and they had to go to study hall. 

 

“There’s double texting, and then there’s what Tyler does,” Frank said. He bit into a piece of celery and then pulled a string of it out from between his teeth. “Can’t he just bother Josh about this?”

 

“He’s my friend too, you know,” Ashley said. 

 

“Some people don’t deal well with rejection,” Mikey said, and shrugged. They had anxiety, and they had a feeling Tyler did too, so they could sympathise with him on that. Anxiety sucked. It made friendships difficult. 

 

The three of them ate their lunch, and then sprinted back to the cafeteria to throw away their trays when the bell rang. They went off in different directions, because none of them had the same class schedule, and Mikey pulled out their earbuds again so that they wouldn’t have to listen to the other people in the hall talking and yelling and screaming at each other. 

 

High school kids were loud. 

 

The rest of the day went by too quickly, and soon Mikey found themself standing outside of Mr. Armstrong’s room, gripping their backpack tightly and hoping that neither Pete nor Spencer would show up to the GSA today. Or Andy, for that matter, because Andy was probably still pissed off at Mikey for sleeping with his friend. 

 

Mikey took a deep breath and pushed the door open anyway. Most of the club was already there, gathered around in a circle and talking amongst themselves. Ashley noticed Mikey and waved them over. She was sitting between Frank and Melanie, and Mikey chose to sit beside Frank instead of Melanie. Melanie made Mikey feel weird, but they couldn’t put their finger on why she did. 

 

“Why does Spencer look like he wants to punch you?” Frank said as Mikey was dumping their backpack. 

 

Mikey froze. “Uh. I did something.”

 

“Descriptive,” Frank said. He was watching Mikey closely, his hazel eyes scanning Mikey’s face in search of an answer that Mikey didn’t want to give. Frank shrugged. “Whatever, man. I’m not getting involved with that love fest.”

 

“That’s… not at all what it is,” Mikey said. 

 

“I thought you and Spencer were like, almost together,” Frank said, frowning. “You act like it, sometimes. You do it with all three of them, actually. It’s kind of weird.”

 

“I’m dating Gabe,” Mikey said. “I thought you knew.”

 

Frank shrugged. “Guess not.”

 

Mikey looked over at Spencer, who hardened his glare before turning away to respond to whatever Dallon was saying to him. Brendon was between him and Dallon, but she wasn’t looking over at Mikey. She was avoiding making eye contact with him, which hurt more than Mikey wanted to admit. 

 

“Is everyone here?” Ray asked, glancing over at Mikey. Mikey scanned the room, and then nodded. Everyone seemed to be here. 

 

“Wait, Tyler’s not here yet,” Josh spoke up. He was sitting next to Pete and Patrick. “He said he’d be here; he’s probably just running late or something. He’s in a bunch of extra curriculars.”

 

“Can you text him?” Ray said. “I don’t want to be waiting forever.”

 

“Yeah, sure, hold on,” Josh said, and reached for his phone. A few seconds later, he looked up and said, “he and Jenna are on their way. It’s okay to bring allies, right?”

 

“It’s a Gay-Straight Alliance, so yeah,” Ray said, nodding. “As long as Jenna’s an ally and doesn’t, like, try to speak over us, then it’s totally cool for her to be here. And any other straight friends you guys may have. I know it’s been mostly us this year, and that we’re all gay here, but allies are more than welcome to come and show their support.”

 

“I haven’t spoken to a straight person in years,” Brendon said. 

 

Dallon raised an eyebrow. “Bren. Veronica is straight.”

 

“That’s what you think,” Brendon said, and winked. Mikey was mildly concerned. They weren’t sure who or what they were concerned about, but it definitely involved Brendon in some way. Brendon noticed Mikey looking over at her and made a face, sticking her tongue out a little and drawing her head back so it looked like she had multiple chins. Mikey rolled their eyes, and Brendon crossed her arms over her chest, feigning offense. “Mikey. That’s so homophobic.”

 

“What.” Joe and Ray both looked confused. Patrick was acting like she didn’t care, but Mikey saw her eyebrows shoot up from under her baseball cap. 

 

“They didn’t laugh at my face,” Brendon said. “Thus, they’re being rude and homophobic.”

 

“Brendon,” Ray said, sounding pained. “Please don’t do that in front of the straight people.”

 

“Fine, I’ll behave myself,” Brendon said, rolling her eyes. Then, she perked up and a very wide smile crossed her face. “Oh hey, straight people. What’s up, heteros?”

 

“I’m not straight,” Tyler said from behind Mikey. Mikey looked over their shoulder and saw that Tyler was flanked by two people, one guy and one girl, and they were both looking around the room like they’d stepped into a new universe. Tyler turned to his friends. “Guys, this is the GSA I was talking about. Everyone here is really cool, okay? So just… be friendly? I’m sure they’ll all love you.”

 

“We’re gonna need more chairs,” Ray said, leaning back to look at Mr. Armstrong. He nodded at her, and the two of them grabbed two more desks and added them into the circle so that Tyler’s friends could sit next to him. 

 

Ray sat back down on her own chair and faced the new people. “Well, I’ll start. I’m Ray, I use she and her pronouns, and I’m bisexual. If you guys want to introduce yourselves, go for it, and then we can go around the circle again so that you know who everyone is.”

 

The guy raised his hand. “Don’t girls go by she?”

 

“Not always,” Ray said. “Sometimes people use pronouns that aren’t traditionally associated with their gender. For example, Joe identifies as non-binary, but sometimes they use he and him instead of they and them.”

 

Joe lifted up a peace sign. “What’s up, I’m Joe.”

 

“So are you a girl then?” the guy asked. 

 

“Yep,” Ray said.

 

“You don’t look like a girl.”

 

Ray shrugged. “I’m working on it.”

 

Ray was handling the straights better than Mikey would have. Mikey would probably be having a panic attack by now, but Ray was as cool and calm as ever. Lindsey looked a little annoyed, but it had always been more aggressive about being LGBT. If Lindsey had been alive in the 70’s, it would definitely have set it’s bras on fire and screamed at congressmen. It’d probably still do that, now. 

 

“Okay, I guess,” the guy said. He looked over at Tyler. “Uh, I’m Zach? I’m Tyler’s older brother, and I’m a senior. And I’m straight, by the way.”

 

“And I’m Jenna,” the girl said, beaming at them all. “I’m Tyler’s QPP, and I’m a sophomore like him. I’m heterosexual and heteroromantic but I might be lithosexual. Tyler’s been telling me about all these cool sexualities you guys have, and I wanted to come see what it’s like and find out more about it.”

 

“I’m here because Ty’s parents are weird, and he wants someone to back him up,” Zach said, shrugging. “I don’t think I’m gay or anything, I’m just trying to be supportive.”

 

“That’s… that’s actually really cool, for both of you,” Ray said after a moment. She rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know all that much about micro-sexualities, but I can definitely look into them and help you out, Jenna. But, uh, don’t be afraid to just say that you’re questioning. Sometimes sexuality--and gender--are complicated, and it might take you a while to figure out exactly what you are. And Zach, allies are always welcome. And Mikey--they’re the VP--and I are more than happy to answer any questions you have, when you have them.”

 

“Awesome,” Zach said. 

 

Ray turned to the rest of the group. “Alright. Now that we’ve got the new people introduced, let’s get to the meat of today’s meeting. I hate to play mom friend, but this is something that needs to be talked about, especially with Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and prom season coming up soon. Consent.”

 

Brendon wiggled her fingers subtly at Mikey, and then pointed down at her phone. Mikey raised an eyebrow, because even though they knew about consent already from Gee, it was still important and they didn’t want to spend the entire club meeting talking to Brendon on kik when Ray was trying to talk about something important. 

 

Brendon pointed harder, and mouthed,  _ it’ll be quick _ . Mikey sighed, and pulled out their phone. 

 

-private message from  **hetty_mcgee** -

 

**hetty_mcgee** : no offense to the new kids but can u tell ray not to put them in the gc?

**hetty_mcgee** : i feel weird having a gay chat with straight people

**mijey** : yea i can say it’s not for allies? like a safe space for lgbt people?

**hetty_mcgee** : yea thanks

**hetty_mcgee** : if they really want to be a part of a group chat u and ray could do fb or something i guess

**mijey** : nah it’s cool idk if i want the chat to be open to allies either

**mijey** : but a mass gc might be a good idea

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	72. the great cow betrayal of 2k17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what this is... but at least nothing bad happens.

- **momfriend** changed the name of the group to  **gay chat** -

 

**momfriend** : at the request of some members, we’re separating the chats a little

**momfriend** : since this is the original chat this is going to be a more private/not open chat and it’s just for the people in gsa who are lgbtq+

**momfriend** : the other chat is the general gsa and anyone who’s a member can/is in that

**momfriend** : and that’s just so that the lgbtq+ members don’t feel like they have to censor themselves around the Heteros

**bball_ace** : but jenna’s not hetero??

**momfriend** : i asked her in a pm if she wanted to be in both since she was questioning and she said she was fine just being in the gen chat for now

**bball_ace** : :///

**momfriend** : it was her choice, tyler, i promise

**bball_ace** : yeah ok i just don’t get why anyone would want two chats

**hetty_mcgee** : i’ll out myself

**hetty_mcgee** : i was one of the people who wanted a seperate chat and it’s bc straight people even if they’re trying to be good allies can sometimes be homo/transphobic and this chat is one of the only places i have where i feel respected

**hetty_mcgee** : nothing against ur friends they seem nice and all i just have really homophobic parents and a lot of people at school are dicks

**hetty_mcgee** : this is my safe corner

**bball_ace** : oh brendon i’m so sorry that sucks

**bball_ace** : if it makes you feel better i think ur valid as heck and i appreciate u

**hetty_mcgee** : thanks

**hetty_mcgee** : sorry if i made things awkward

**bball_ace** : no ur fine!! i just didn’t realise ur parents were homophobes

**hetty_mcgee** : yeah its kind of an issue for a lot of people here

**momfriend** : my parents don’t know about me, but they’ve been cool with my other gay friends so far

**hurleyxvx** : and i kno pete’s parents are cool with him being into guys but they don’t get trans stuff at all 

**bball_ace** : well thats dumb

**hurleyxvx** : ur telling me

**satan’s side ho** : My parents aren’t as bad as Brendon’s but I’d never come out to them because they’d probably pull me out of school or something to get me away from the “bad influences.”

**bball_ace** : dang

**bball_ace** : mine are just like “don’t talk about gays like its a good thing”

**momfriend** : thats actually pretty shitty

**hetty_mcgee** : whelp. i’m gonna disappear for a while my dad just came in and called me by my full name

**hetty_mcgee** : rip in peace me

**hetty_mcgee** : tell spencer and dallon i love them

**momfriend** : stay safe; if anything bad happens don’t be afraid to call one of us!!

**satan’s side ho** : Yeah, Bren, I can convince my mom to let you stay the night if you need to.

**hurleyxvx** : i hope she sees those and comes back ok

**bball_ace** : poor brendon ://

 

Mikey looked up from their phone to see Frank and Ashley coming into Mr. Armstrong’s room. It was Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, and both of them were wearing all black. Mikey raised an eyebrow as Frank sat down in his seat and Ashley sat down at the empty desk in front of him. They pulled at their own shirt, which was a black and white baseball tee for the band Metric. “Did I miss something?”

 

“We’re mourning the death of heterosexual decency,” Ashley said. 

 

“Straight people are fucking wild,” Frank said. He kicked his feet up on the desk. “They’re basically fucking each other in public. It’s gross. No one wants to see that.”

 

“How is that different from any other day here?” Mikey said. Straight people were really annoying when it came to PDA. They’d make out in the hallways, but then turn around and throw slurs around if two people of the same gender so much as hugged each other. Mikey couldn’t imagine how it was worse than usual today.

 

“It’s… like someone released a sex poison,” Ashley said. 

 

Frank’s eyes widened. “That’d be a good band name. Sex poison.”

 

Mikey shook their head. “Nah, it sounds too close to the Sex Pistols.”

 

“Fuck it, we can just be a Sex Pistols cover band and call ourselves Sex Poison,” Frank said. “And we can cover other shit, like the actual band Poison and Pansy Division and shit like that.”

 

“Who said I’m in your band?” Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, you’re in chorus, so obviously you can sing, and Mikey used to play bass, and I know guitar,” Frank said. “It’s a start.”

 

“You’re already in a band,” Mikey commented, because last time they checked, Frank was still playing with Against Me! whenever he had free time and his mom wouldn’t yell at him for slacking on his school work. 

 

“I can figure it out,” Frank said.He sounded so sure of himself; Mikey hoped Frank was right. It’d be cool, to be in a band again. Drama had been helping Mikey with their anxiety. They could get up in front of people now, so long as they weren’t the focus of everyone’s attention. Ashley was pretty flashy, with her bright blue hair and all the quirky outfits she wore, and Mikey already knew what Frank was like on stage. They’d easily keep people from noticing Mikey on the bass. 

 

The bell rang, and the three of them bolted up, racing back to the cafeteria to dispose of their trays and then split off to their post-lunch classes. Mikey made it to theirs before the bell rang, thankfully, and pulled up the groupchat instead of their classwork. 

 

**mijey** : frank and ashley are rebels

**bihalsey** : mikey i swear to fuck if u give away our location 

**bihalsey** : idk what i’ll do but i’ll fight u or something

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : meet me behind the giant vibrating power thingy after school we’ll throw the fuck down

**momfriend** : no fighting at school

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : dont tell me what to do ur not my real mom >(

**momfriend** : fanklin,,,,,,,,, How Could U

**mijey** : yeah fanklin apologise to ray

**frnkiero_andthe_dogs** : u spelled my name wrong no

 

- **frnkiero_andthe_dogs** changed their name to  **fanklin** -

 

**fanklin** : fuk u

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : what the hell.

**fanklin** : like this is the weirdest thing to happen in this chat

**momfriend** : yeah come on joe step up ur game

**bihalsey** : leave joe alone he’s doing his best

**bihalsey** : shit sorry

**bihalsey** : *they ? i think??

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : ur good dont worry

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : oh ps patrick wants a dog

**mijey** : why does this concern us???????? he’s ur gf????

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : sin jar. next time it’s full we surprise him with a doggo

**hatrick** : joe,, honey,,, this is the main chat

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : FUCK ABORT

**hatrick** : thats sweet of u tho i appreciate the effort and your continued unwillingness to spend any money ever

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i hate capitalism and if u hadnt told me no i would have just stolen u a dog

**hatrick** : i’d like my future pet to be somewhat legal

**bihalsey** : steal the dogs from the kill shelters

**fanklin** : FREE THEM ALL

**fanklin** : this is part of why i’m a vegetarian

**fanklin** : i look at animals who are sad and immediately start crying

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : chick fil a must be hard then. those cows always look so happy

**bihalsey** : chick fil a is homophobic joe

**bihalsey** : all of those cows,,, Hate The Gays

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : wait r u serious

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i’ve never felt more betrayed

**momfriend** : Top Ten Anime Betrayals

**mijey** : dollar in the jar

 

- **fuck_ashleys_mom** changed the name of the group to  **the great cow betrayal of 2k17** -

 

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i cant believe i got played by COWS

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : theyre so cute too…. love thos dumb faces and thos spotty bois

**bihalsey** : not all cows are homophobic

**bihalsey** : just the capitalist ones that work for chick fil a

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : well that’s ok then

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : all capitalists are homophobic bc they inconvenience me, a gay

 

Mikey put their phone away and ignored the straight couple beside them. Straight people really were insufferable, especially on Valentine’s Day, which was a day catered to them even though they weren’t the only one’s who had relationships. Mikey rolled their eyes, and spent the rest of the class period making a list of why straight people needed to be stopped. 

 

Mikey wondered if they were actually becoming heterophobic, even though that wasn’t a real thing. They could be annoyed by straight people, sure, and wish they never had to deal with one, but it didn’t mean Mikey was going around and actually oppressing them. Straight people were still seen as the norm, no matter how much Mikey disliked them. 

 

**satan’s side ho** : I know I’m late but: “not all men?” More like “not all cows.”

**momfriend** : dallon i will remove u

**satan’s side ho** : No you won’t. I’m hilarious

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : cant be the meme fucker if ur name is an outdated meme tho

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : brendon’s changed hers dallon its time

**satan’s side ho** : Fine.

 

- **satan’s side ho** changed their name to  **dadeth** -

 

**dadeth** : Dost thou haveth ein problem?

**momfriend** : ,,,,,, was that german

**dadeth** : Dost Thou Haveth Ein Problem??????

**momfriend** : i’ll take that as a yes

**dadeth** : And yes, it was German. I don’t actually know German, though. I just know enough to have a really bad fake accent.

**bihalsey** : honestly thats all u need

**bihalsey** : also why r u on ur phone in class????? 

**dadeth** : Because I’m the ultimate bad boy… person? Person.

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : maybe person can be our always

**dadeth** : First of all, dollar in the jar for reminding me that John Green exists. Second, I’m never checking this chat in class again if this is the content I get.

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : #harsh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


	73. Gabe Has No Self Preservation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm taking a slight hiatus to finish up the next part of WSYICT, but I'll be back here for all of november. I'm gonna be writing a chapter of nohic a day for NaNoWriMo (but only posting once a week bc suspense) this year! YAY
> 
> Also, I'm now 21 which means I can officially purchase an alcohol. I have not yet purchased an alcohol. I'm a failure of a human being.

Ray pressed her hand down on Mikey’s knee again. They’d been nervous all evening at youth group, because while they were stuck here, their dad was going to the hospital to pick Gee up and bring her home. Mikey was excited, but also worried, because as much as they loved and had missed their sister, they knew she wasn’t going to be totally fine when she got back to the house. Mikey was worried she’d relapse or something because she wasn’t in the hospital with people watching over her. They didn’t know if their parents were prepared to take care of their daughter and actually listen to her. 

 

“Gee’s gonna be fine,” Ray said. Her eyes were soft, and worried, which made Mikey feel a little better. They weren’t alone in worrying about Gee’s well-being. Ray was concerned too, but she was doing that thing where she acted like a mom keeping a family together and didn’t show how she felt. 

 

Mikey nodded. “I know. I’m excited, too. It’s not just anxiety.”

 

Ray smiled. “I’m excited too. Worried, but excited.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said, nodding and chewing at their fingernail. “It’s a weird feeling.”

 

“Do you think Gee’s gonna freak out?” Ray asked. 

 

“Over what?” Mikey said, frowning around their finger. “I don’t think anything too weird has happened since she left… and she already knows about Gabe and me.”

 

“No, I meant about me and Lindsey dating.”

 

Mikey’s jaw dropped. “ _ You’re _ Lindsey’s girlfriend?”

 

“I thought I told you!” Ray hissed, glancing away from the laptop to make sure no one overheard her and Mikey. No one paid attention to the gays in the soundbooth, anyway. 

 

Mikey shook their head. “You did not.”

 

“Shit, sorry,” Ray said. “I meant to… we both did. Since you’re our friend and everything. We’re trying to be casual, with all the other drama and shit going on, but I mean, you deserve to know, since you’ve known us for years. It’d be weird if we were dating behind your back.”

 

Mikey smiled. They appreciated that, that Ray and Lindsey had thought this through. Too many of their friends were impulsive. Mikey was also impulsive, but they weren’t counting themself as a friend. They weren’t friends with themself; that would be weird. 

 

Gabe climbed back up into the sound booth, holding his phone in his hand and looking annoyed. He dropped back into the seat between Ray and Mikey. “Well, turns out Spencer isn’t coming at all, so now what.”

 

“You could put gay things in the announcements,” Mikey suggested. They knew it was their fault that Spencer wasn’t here with Gabe. Spencer was still upset with Mikey, and Mikey couldn’t blame them for that, because they were the one at fault, but they missed him anyway. And they were sure that Gabe missed him too, since Gabe was Jewish and he and Spencer didn’t have any reason to pay attention during the worship part of youth group. 

 

Mikey and Ray (and Gee, when she was there) had to pay attention, because they youth leader knew their parents. Part of the deal with letting Ray be in charge of the soundbooth was that she, and anyone back there with her, still had to participate. 

 

“If you put gay things in the announcements I will follow you home and fight you,” Ray said. “I like the freedom back here. I don’t want to get put back with the guys. They’re all annoying, and I hate them.”

 

“Harsh,” Gabe said. 

 

“You’ve obviously never had to deal with a cishet Catholic boy,” Ray said, deadpan. She glanced over her shoulder at the two of them. “They’re horrible. I would have committed homicide if it weren’t for Gee.”

 

Mikey raised their eyebrows. “Was it really that bad?”

 

“They only packed one thing of underwear for retreats, pissed on everything that wasn’t the toilet, and never shut up about boobs. So yeah, it was pretty bad,” Ray said. She let out a deep sigh. “Oh, and on top of that, everything they didn’t like was always considered gay. Which, I mean, isn’t a Catholic exclusive--”

 

Gabe shot up out of his seat, “Everyone! I am a gay, Jewish immigrant and I’m here to corrupt everything you love!”

 

“What the fuck,” Ray and Mikey hissed at the same time. Mikey grabbed at Gabe’s hoodie, trying to pull him back down and hoping that they could play it off as a joke. 

 

“God is real; I sucked his dick behind the Thornton’s!” Gabe yelled. “Have a nice day, I’m stealing your sound guy!”

 

Gabe then grabbed Ray and Mikey by their elbows and dragged them out of the youth area. Mikey tried not to look anyone in the eye. They were pretty sure they were fucked, since this would inevitably get back to their mom and dad. Mikey’d probably get in trouble for it, too, or at least banned from seeing Gabe. 

 

Ray whirled on Gabe once they were out of the church and standing in the parking lot. “What the fuck was that? Are you out of your mind?”

 

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Oh please, like you wanted to be there anyway.”

 

“Gabe. You don’t have to come back here. Mikey and I do, and Mikey’s parents are, like, aggressively Catholic,” Ray said. She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a very tired sigh. “Jesus Christ. We can’t all be rebellious and not give a fuck. Some of us actually face consequences for our actions.”

 

“And you think I don’t?” Gabe asked, raising an eyebrow. “Ray, seriously. You know my mom and I aren’t here legally, right? And with all the other shit going on…”

 

“Right, sorry,” Ray said. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. “So. What do we do now?”

 

Mikey’s phone buzzed in their pocket. The pulled it out to see a message from Frank, saying that he and Ashley were apparently hanging out at her house and watching Ghost Adventures. Mikey held their phone up to Ray and Gabe. “Here’s an idea.”

 

It turned out that Ashley’s house wasn’t far from the church, so her mom picked Ray, Gabe, and Mikey up and brought them over. Ashley’s room was long and narrow, and it was over the garage. She and Frank were laid out on the floor in front of her bend, with a giant bowl of caramel covered popcorn between them and Ashley’s laptop sitting on her history textbook. Frank looked up at the three of them. “Sup guys.”

 

“Gabe got us kicked out of youth group,” Ray said, sitting down on the other side of Ashley. 

 

Frank sat up and raised his hand to Gabe. “Awesome, man. High five.”

 

“Mikey and I are probably going to get grounded for months when our parents find out, though,” Ray said. She sat up on her elbows and looked over at Gabe. “But I guess it was pretty cool, anyway.”

 

“Thanks,” Gabe said, and tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth. “I totally stole the idea from that Kingsman movie, though.”

 

“Oh yeah, I saw that,” Ashley said. Mikey had no idea what she and Gabe were talking about, and it didn’t seem as though Ray or Frank knew either. Ashley got up and walked over to her bookshelf, where there were a bunch of DVDs on one of the shelves. “I have it on DVD because the torrent I was using got all fucked up and my mom didn’t know how bad it was when I asked for it as a birthday present.”

 

“Mikey does bootlegs,” Gabe said. 

 

“I bootlegged Disney movies, not R rated stuff,” Mikey said, shaking their head. “There’s a difference.”

 

“They’re both illegal,” Frank said. “Speaking of which, my mom found my cigarettes so I need a new hiding place. Any ideas?”

 

“I’ve never been to your house,” Ashley said. She popped the DVD in and returned to the floor with everyone else. The other three nodded in agreement; none of them knew what Frank’s house looked like, so it would be hard to figure out a good hiding place. That didn’t stop Gabe and Ray from blurting out ideas during the movie. Frank shot them all down, because he knew his house and his mom and he knew they wouldn’t be safe. 

 

Ashley’s mom interrupted them in the middle of the movie to say that Mikey’s dad was there and that Mikey had to go home. Mikey let out a sigh, but they weren’t too upset, because going home meant they got to see Gee again, and they were looking forward to that. They said goodbye to everyone, and Ashley promised to invite them over so that they could see the rest of Kingsman, and then Mikey headed down the stairs behind Ashley’s mom. 

 

Their dad was sitting in the living room, but he stood up when Mikey and Ashley’s mom came down the stairs. He smiled at Mikey. “Ready to see your brother again?”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said, nodding. Their dad and Ashley’s mom talked about parent stuff for a few minutes before Mikey pulled at their dad’s elbow and he finally left for the car. Mikey got into the back seat and pulled out their phone. 

 

-private message from  **momfriend** -

 

**momfriend** : hey since you’re the vp and also dating gabe i thought i’d ask you this first

**momfriend** : since gabe, willow, and travie dont have a gsa at their school do you think they could join ours? obvi i’d have to run it by mr armstrong first but do you think that could work our for everyone

**mijey** : yeah i think thatd be rad

**mijey** : we could always be like a county wide gsa or something if the school gets mad

**momfriend** : gabe’s school is in a different county mikey

**momfriend** : remember u ang gee’s neighbourhood got redistricted and that’s why gee and i went to middle school together

**mijey** : o yeah

**mijey** : whatever school districts are dumb anyway

**momfriend** : big mood

 

Mikey almost bolted out of their seat when their dad pulled into the garage. They yanked open the door to their room, but Gee wasn’t in there, so they ran up the stairs to the living room. They grinned when they saw her; her hair was longer now and some of her roots were showing, but she was the same Gee. Mikey grinned, wrapping her up in a hug. “Gee! I missed you!”

 

“I missed you too, Mikes,” Gee said, burying her face into their shoulder. “God, it’s so weird being in the real world again. I forgot how to tie my shoelaces.”

 

“Seriously?” Mikey asked, pulling back and looking down at Gee’s feet. They were wearing socks with little bats on them, and no shoes. 

 

“Well, kind of. They don’t let you have shoes with laces on them, because they think you could, like, hang yourself with the laces or something,” Gee said. She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, they had a bunch of dumb rules.”

 

“They were for your safety, honey,” their mom said. She and Lena were sitting on the sofa behind Gee and Mikey, and neither of them were smoking. Their mom looked to Mikey. “And Mikey, now that your brother’s home, and we’ve had time to think about the future, there are some serious things we need to talk about as a family.”

 

Mikey looked at Gee, worried. Gee shook their head. “Don’t worry, Mikey. We’re not in trouble.”

 

Mikey trusted Gee, and so they sat down in front of one of the chairs in the living room. Gee sat in the chair, bumping Mikey’s shoulder with her knee, and their dad sat down in the other chair. They didn’t know what was coming, but if Gee was okay with it, then Mikey would be okay with it too. Besides, they and Gee were a team. They had each other’s backs.

 

“Your father and I have realised, after everything that’s happened with Gerard, that we aren’t listening to the two of you,” their mom said. She looked genuinely concerned about all of this, which Mikey could understand. Gee’d been really messed up, and even though she looked a lot better now, Mikey knew that it wasn’t that easy. “I’m glad that you two have been able to talk with Lena about your problems, but we’re your parents, and neither of you should feel like you have to hide who you are from us.”

 

Mikey looked up at Gee, worried. Had the people at the hospital outed her to their parents? But Gee looked too calm for someone who’d been outed against her will. 

 

“While Gerard was in the hospital, he talked with one of the doctors about what was making him so depressed, and he brought up being--what was it you said?” their mom looked over to Gee, frowning. 

 

“Pansexual,” Gee said. “It’s like being bisexual. I like girls and guys.”

 

“Right,” their mom said, nodding and mouthing “pansexual” under her breath a few times. “The doctor said that Gerard’s pansexuality, and your dad and I not being comfortable with it, could have been making his symptoms worse. The doctor showed us all these studies and statistics about gay teens, and I realised that I’ve been failing you both as a mother.”

 

“You shouldn’t feel like we don’t love you for who you are,” Mikey’s dad said. “Your mom and I… we don’t really get this gay and lesbian and pansexual stuff, but we still love you, and we’re going to try to figure it out. You’re our kids, both of you, no matter who you’re into or date, or whatever it is you kids do these days.”

 

Mikey frowned. “Is this a joke?”

 

“Mikey, why would we joke about that?” their mom said, her eyebrows drawn in. She looked upset that Mikey didn’t believe her. Mikey wanted to believe her, and their dad, obviously, but it didn’t seem real. 

 

“Well, when Gee and I came out to you over the summer, you guys said Gee was being pan for attention and that I was just trying to be like him,” Mikey said. 

 

“And we shouldn’t have said that,” Mikey’s dad said. “We want to understand you, and learn to love you for who you are, because we care about your well-being. Both of you.”

 

“So does that mean I can re-come out?” Mikey asked. They looked back over their shoulder at Gee, who nodded. Mikey turned back to their parents, and took a deep breath. “Mom, dad, I’m bisexual. Gabe knows, by the way, and he’s cool with it. It’s not some big secret.”

 

“And it doesn’t have to be,” Lena said. She reached her arms out towards Mikey and Gee. “You two are brave, beautiful kids, and you should never have to hide who you are. Now, come here.”

 

Mikey stood up, shaking from nerves, and walked over to their parents and their grandma. Gee was right behind them, and the two Way kids got pulled into a tight hug from their grandma. Their parents hugged them too, and Mikey just held on tightly as they all whispered “I love you” to each other. It wasn’t everything, but it was a step forward, and Mikey was more than willing to accept it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed, and feel free to come talk to me on tumblr @dilfspencer!


	74. New Kids On the Block

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Travie, Willow, Gabe, and a friend of Brendon's join the GSA. Yeet

-private message from  **fangzout** -

 

**fangzout** : willow travie and i are on the way

**fangzout** : prepare for the gay

**mijey** : i hate you

**fangzout** : no u dong

**fangzout** : *don’t

**mijey** : freudian slip

**fangzout** : fucker

 

Mikey laughed and locked their phone before sliding it back into their pocket. They raced up the stairs towards Mr. Armstrong’s classroom. This would be the first GSA meeting where Gabe, Travie, and Willow would be attending. Mr. Armstrong had allowed it, since there was no way for the school administrators to know that the three of them were from a different school. 

 

Mikey was pretty excited. They liked Gabe, fake girlfriend or not, and it would be cool to hang out with her and her datemates. 

 

They pulled out their earbuds when they got into Mr. Armstrongs class, and grabbed the desk next to Frank. Mikey dropped their backpack down onto the floor and wound their earbuds around their phone. “Did I miss anything interesting?”

 

“Dude, the meeting hasn’t even started yet,” Frank said. “And besides, Brendon’s not here yet, so of course nothing interesting happened.”

 

“True. Brendon does bring the excitement,” Mikey said. Dallon and Spencer were already there, sitting over beside Ray, Lindsey, and Gee. Gee knew that Ray and Lindsey were dating, and she seemed okay with it for the most part. Mikey could tell that she was a little bitter that the two of them were together and she was third-wheeling now, but it seemed like Gee was trying to hide that. Mikey hoped it worked, because they didn't want any more drama in their life. 

 

Joe burst through the door, followed closely by Patrick and Andy. “Andy has a voyeur fetish!”

 

“No I don’t, asshole!”

 

“Andy doesn’t know how to knock,” Patrick added, which made more sense. 

 

Andy rolled his eyes. “I know how to knock. Joe doesn’t know how to lock a bathroom stall.”

 

“You guys were fucking in a bathroom?” Frank blurted out. In the background, Mr. Armstrong let out a long sigh and plugged his earphones into his laptop. Mikey could relate. 

 

“We were making out in a bathroom, Jesus Christ,” Patrick said. She pulled her baseball cap down further over her face, flattening her bangs down over her eyes. “And Andy came in, needing to piss, and slammed open the stall.”

 

“I didn’t slam it open,” Andy said. “I opened it like a normal person.”

 

“Andy, we all know you’ve got super strength, you don’t have to keep hiding it from us,” Joe said. Ae patted Andy on the shoulder, and Andy shoved his middle finger in aer face. Joe laughed and licked it. 

 

“Disgusting,” Andy said drily. “Patrick, control your Joefriend.”

 

“Nah,” Patrick said. She strode over and sat down beside Gee. Joe and Andy joined her, still bickering over what had really happened in the bathroom. 

 

Josh, Pete, and Ashley arrived next, and immediately got dragged into the discourse. Ashley, looking a little frightened, glanced over to Mikey and Frank and mouthed “help me,” but there was nothing that Mikey or Frank could do at this point. 

 

Tyler came in with Melanie, Jenna, and Zach, and Zach made a beeline over to where Ray was sitting. Mikey was close enough that they could hear what Zach was saying over Joe, Pete, and Andy all yelling and laughing at each other. 

 

“I wanted to apologise for the stuff I said the other week. I’m not… I don’t know a lot about transgendered people, but I mean, if you way you’re a girl, then you’re a girl, and I shouldn’t have argued with you about it,” Zach said. He looked genuine. 

 

Ray nodded. “It’s okay. Most cis people don’t know anything. Thanks for apologising, though.”

 

“Yeah… my mom and dad may be close-minded, but they didn’t raise me to be rude to people,” Zach said. 

 

“And, just for future reference, it’s transgender people, not transgendered,” Ray said. “Trans is an adjective, not a verb.”

 

“Got it,” Zach said, nodding. Mikey let out a breath they hadn’t realised they’d been holding. It was weird to have actual straight people in the club, because before Tyler had started bringing his friends, they’d all been gay here, and no one really had to worry about straight people saying dumb shit. 

 

Brendon showed up not long after, with a girl from drama that Mikey recognised. She was playing Hope Harcourt, but they couldn’t remember her real name. She seemed to know Spencer, because she grinned and hugged him when Brendon brought her over. 

 

-private message to  **fangzout** -

 

**mijey** : hurry the fuck up everyone else is here

**fangzout** : we’re coming

**fangzout** : willow is currently screaming at the soccer mom in front of us to go faster

**fangzout** : o hey theres the school

**fangzout** : willow u coward just drive across the football field roads are for losers

**mijey** : please don’t make your girlfriend drive over our football field

**fangzout** : ok we’re here

 

“Hey Ray,” Mikey said, having to shout over everyone else. “Gabe’s almost here.”

 

“Awesome,” Ray said, grinning and giving them a thumbs up. She and Mikey grabbed a few more desks so that the new kids would have somewhere to sit. Gabe, Travie, and Willow showed up a few moments later and grabbed their seats. Ray looked around the room. “Should we start?”

 

“Where’s Brendon?” Dallon asked. 

 

“She’s your girlfriend, man, I don’t know,” Gabe asked, even though the question hadn’t been directed at her. 

 

Ray frowned. “I guess we can start… and if Brendon shows up we’ll just catch her up on what she missed? I don’t want to sit around waiting forever, guys.”

 

“That’s fine,” Dallon said. Everyone else nodded in agreement, slowly, and Ray started the meeting. Travie, Willow, and Gabe all introduced themselves, and Gabe explained how the three of them had ended up here instead of at a GSA at their own high school. 

 

Brendon showed up about five minutes into the meeting, with a girl from drama. She was the one playing Hope Harcourt, and she had really pretty big blue eyes. She introduced herself as Sarah, a bisexual sophomore, and sat next to Brendon. It was awesome, having so many people here. Mikey remembered when it was just the twelve of them, and now there were twenty-two total. The club had nearly doubled in just one semester. 

 

And sure, Tyler was a little annoying sometimes, and his brother was kind of ignorant, and sometimes Josh or Ashley or Melanie would say something transphobic, but they were trying, and Mikey was cool with that. No one came out of the womb knowing everything about the LGBT community, and Mikey would rather these guys ask here than go out and be dicks in public. 

 

At least here, Joe or Brendon could sass anyone who said something ignorant, and then Ray would come in and explain  _ why _ they were being ignorant. 

 

“I think the school should have better sex ed courses,” Ashley said. “All we learn now is to just… not have sex, and that condoms aren’t safe because they break sometimes.”

 

“Agreed,” Sarah said, nodding vigourously. 

 

Tyler was frowning, though. “I don’t know… I don’t want to hear people talking about sex all the time. It’s kind of gross, especially since I’m ace and Jenna’s a-spec, and neither of us really feel sexual attraction. Like, what’s the point of forcing an ace person to take a course about sex?”

 

“I mean, part of the course could be teaching people what asexuality and aromanticism are?” Andy offered. He glanced over at Josh. “I don’t know about you, but I thought my asexuality was just me being a late bloomer until I researched it.”

 

“Yeah,” Josh said. “I used to think I was aroace like you, and then I got this crush on a guy in eighth grade and it really threw me off. There should definitely be more education about like, sexuality and romantic attraction and spectrums and shit.”

 

“And less heterosexuality,” Ray added. “Because only teaching kids about straight sex and straight relationships can really fuck people like us up.”

 

“And telling us that being gay is gross or bad,” Patrick said. She crossed and uncrossed her ankles. “I kind of always knew I was pan, but when I was younger, I hated myself for liking guys, and I tried to convince myself that I didn’t really like them. I was dealing with a lot of internalised homophobia, and it sucked.”

 

“Yeah, didn’t you kiss Pete once and then say you hated it because you were actually ace?” Joe said. 

 

“Way to destroy my ego, Trick,” Pete said, knocking shoulders with her. “I thought I was so bad at kissing that I made you ace. And then you started making out with Joe in public bathrooms and I realised I just sucked in general.”

 

“No, we were thirteen and I mixed up feeling guilty about liking boys with thinking I wasn’t attracted to you,” Patrick said, and rolled her eyes. “I’m not attracted to you, by the way. You have weird teeth.”

 

“My teeth are great,” Pete exclaimed, feigning offense. “Fuck off.”

 

“Please stop arguing about teeth,” Ray said, burying her face in her hands. She looked like a distressed mother of… well, twenty-one kids, apparently. “Can we get back on topic?”

 

“We had a topic?” Josh asked, grinning. “I thought we were just blurting out random shit for fun.”

 

“I will kick you out of this room,” Ray mumbled. 

 

“Leave Josh alone, he’s my best friend,” Tyler said. He protectively wrapped his arms around Josh and pouted at Ray. Pete raised an eyebrow at that, but Josh didn’t say anything to contradict Tyler. Whatever. If Pete was going to be jealous, it wasn’t Mikey’s problem any more. 

 

“Anyway,” Lindsey said. “Sex ed in schools. We need it.”

 

“And we need more resources on sexuality,” Andy added. “Because I think a lot of us here would have figured out who we are earlier if only we’d known about all the LGBT shit.”

 

“We should make flyers,” Pete said, sitting up on their desk and grinning. They nudged Patrick in the shoulder. “Trick, you’ve got Photoshop, right? We can totally use that to make the flyers look cool and not like they were made in PowerPoint in like, ten minutes.”

 

“Dallon and Gee also have a free digital art program, and they can both draw if we wanted to add designs?” Mikey suggested. Ray looked over to Dallon and then Gee, both of whom shrugged in agreement. The club started hashing out details, like when this information meeting would be, how many administrators they’d have to convince to let it happen, and all the other annoying things that came with planning a school event. 

 

“Are we going to be invited?” Travie asked. “Since we’re from a different school… I don’t know if you guys wanted to keep this in Castle or not.”

 

“Yeah, you guys could come, since you’re club members now,” Ray said. “Don’t invite all of Harrison, though. I don’t think we have enough room for two different high schools.”

 

Travie nodded. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	75. hating capitalism is gay culture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Gabe Saporta voice) Bitchin'
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter. I love Gabe; I'm adopting him in every universe right now. He's just such a fun character to write. I'd tattoo him onto my leg.
> 
> Warning in this chapter for some transphobic/transmisogynistic language

“How’s the comic coming along?” Mikey said, trying to get to where they could see what Gee was doing on her computer. 

 

Gee bopped Mikey in the nose with her tablet pen. “Really good, actually. Thanks for filling in while I was in the hospital, by the way. I think the readers like you more than they like me, now.”

 

“Hey, I made sure to tell them that I was a different person so that they wouldn’t think you stopped giving a shit about the quality of your comics,” Mikey said. They weren’t terrible at lineart, or colouring, but they weren’t Gee. Their pages looked more like a middle school kid on DeviantArt than someone who was taking AP art courses and already looking into art schools for college. 

 

Mikey couldn’t think of a single art college that would want to take them in as a student. At least they could draw something more than a stick figure. 

 

“You have the better personality,” Gee said. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “Your personality is cool, shush.”

 

“Yeah, but you’re funny and relatable to the youths.”

 

“...you’re a youth.”

 

“Yes,” Gee said, and hunched over her computer to go back to drawing. Mikey settled in beside her, resting their chin on her shoulder as she worked on the lines for a panel of Kobra Kid being held at gunpoint by the new character, Fun Ghoul. Ghoul was Frank, and was going to be a foil to Ray’s character, who was an Amazon woman called Jet Star and the only killjoy in the group who’d been born in the desert. 

 

“Give Frank… I mean Fun Ghoul… shaved sides,” Mikey suggested. 

 

Gee shook her head. “Party and Kobra already have shaved sides. I don’t want them to all look the same.”

 

“Fun Ghoul has black hair! He doesn’t look anything like Party or Kobra!” Mikey argued. Besides, Party was a woman, and Kobra’s hair was way shorter than his sister’s or Ghoul’s. “Come on, Frank has a mohawk in real life. It’d be accurate.”

 

“Then Jet would be the odd one out, and I can’t do that to her,” Gee said. “Beside, I posted a preview of Ghoul’s character design yesterday, including his full head of hair. I can’t go and change that in the first comic we see him in. That’s just bad plot design.”

 

“Fine,” Mikey said. “But next time you leave me in charge of updates, I’m gonna shave Ghoul’s fucking head.”

 

“He’ll look like an egg, but okay,” Gee said. Mikey hated that she had a point. They wouldn’t let Gee know that she was right, though, because Mikey was stubborn and they were sure that they could pull off drawing Fun Ghoul as an egg. 

 

Mikey’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, you should actually draw him as a egg.”

 

“No.”

 

“Please? It’d be funny, and then we could make Fun Egg into stickers and pins and shit and sell them on RedBubble,” Mikey said. “That’s what artists use, right? RedBubble? Or is everyone still on Etsy?”

 

“Lindsey uses RedBubble,” Gee said. “I’ve never tried to make anything worth selling.”

 

“We need to capitalise on Fun Egg, then,” Mikey said, nodding to themself. They were great at marketing ideas. If they lived in LA instead of Evansville, they’d totally be a douchey, popular YouTuber by now. Mikey would make a good YouTuber, probably. They could probably get by with just making vlogs about all of the wild things they and their friends got up to. 

 

“Somewhere, Joe Trohman just had the urge to fight you,” Gee said. “You know ae hate capitalism.”

 

“Everyone hates capitalism,” Mikey said. “Except Republicans.”

 

“Fuck Republicans.”

 

“Mood,” Mikey said. They and Gee fell into comfortable silence again, with Gee concentrating on her art and Mikey watching her work. It looked so easy from back here, but Mikey knew first hand that drawing digitally was not easy. It was a pain in the ass, because shading was hard, and pen pressure was annoying, and sometimes the tablet pen didn’t recognise the pen pressure at all and so all of the lines came out thick and ugly. 

 

“I can’t believe people think digital art is easy,” Mikey said after a few minutes. Gee had moved from Fun Ghoul’s head to his hands and his gun. 

 

“I blame Andrew Hussie for that,” Gee said. “Also I really hate Homestuck and I think the art for it sucks.”

 

“Don’t be so pretentious,” Mikey said. 

 

Gee raised an eyebrow. “It’s fucking red?”

 

“No. Don’t quote Project Runway at me,” Mikey rolled their eyes. Watching Project Runway was one of the only stereotypical gay things that they and Gee did together. Mikey also wore beanies a lot, but hipsters had ruined beanies for the gays a few years ago and so Mikey didn’t count that as a gay thing. 

 

“It’s the most iconic line,” Gee said. “Other than anything Tim Gunn has said, obviously.”

 

“Tim Gunn is iconic,” Mikey said. “You should make him a Killjoy.”

 

Gee set her pen down to turn around and look at Mikey. “No.”

 

“Ugh, fine. I guess the series can survive without Tim Gunn,” Mikey said. They slid off of Gee’s bed to leave her alone with her art, and started digging through their backpack. With all of the stuff going on at school, Mikey had fallen behind on a lot of their homework, and they figured now was a good time to get started on it all. 

 

Mikey looked down at the pile of homework they had to do to catch up, and cringed a little. There was a lot, and it was overwhelming, almost. Mikey didn't think they could do it, and they didn’t know where to start with it, either. 

 

Mikey took a deep breath, and closed their eyes. They knew, rationally, that they’d never get anything done if they didn’t start somewhere. It didn’t matter what they started with, so long as they picked something. They reached out, still with their eyes closed, and grabbed an assignment. They opened their eyes to see what they’d chosen. 

 

Spanish. Okay, not too hard. Except that this assignment was about outdoor activities and Mikey barely went outside unless they absolutely had to. 

 

-private message to  **fangzout** -

 

**mijey** : u speak spanish right

**fangzout** : im not doing your spanish homework, mi pendejo

**mijey** : ...i have no idea if that was a pet name or an insult

**fangzout** : it was both, obviously ;P

**fangzout** : do do ur homework michael

 

-private message to  **momfriend** -

 

**mijey** : ray do u speak spanish

**momfriend** : gabe texted me first so no hablo espanol

**momfriend** : i don’t know how to do the little squiggle but pretend its there

**mijey** : you two are horrible people and want me to fail

**momfriend** : no we just don’t want to get caught up in a cheating scandal

**momfriend** : besides it’s not like you can ask either of us to help you out on a spanish test

**mijey** : i hate when you’re right

**momfriend** : wow you must hate me a lot then

**mijey** : ...w o w

 

Mikey set their phone down and pulled out their Spanish dictionary. They weren’t necessarily  _ bad _ at Spanish, but their teacher was really slow and they got distracted in class easily. She took an entire lesson just to cover a few words, and every day, Mikey left that class feeling like he would have been better off teaching himself Spanish. 

 

“Hey Mikey,” Gee said after a few minutes of the two working on their seperate projects. “Do you think I should have any relationships in this, or should I just stick to the plot?”

 

“If you put in relationships you’ll have to draw porn,” Mikey said. They looked up at Gee over their glasses. “And I’ve seen you try to draw dicks. You suck at it.”

 

“I’m better than you!” Gee said, pouting. 

 

“That’s not saying much,” Mikey responded, and went back to their Spanish homework. There was a lot more than they’d realised, and after about an hour, their head was starting to hurt. Mikey put it to the side, and searched for something that wouldn’t be as difficult to work on. 

 

They settled on a history assignment, which was to write about the effects of prohibition on crime in North America. It wasn’t hard, especially since Lena had grown up in an Italian mob run neighbourhood in New York City when she was a kid. Mikey and Gee had grown up hearing stories from both of their parents about all of the mob influences in New York and Jersey neighbourhoods, and how the mob guys were kind of like really sketchy vigilantes.

 

Mikey tapped their pencil against their bottom lip. “Ya know, the killjoys are kind of like a mob gang.”

 

“How?”

 

“Well, the government sees them as evil, and most people are afraid of them because they kill other people, but the killjoys are really just trying to protect their families,” Mikey said. “And the things they value in the desert, like freedom and colour and music. Seems pretty mob-ish to me.”

 

“I’m gonna give Kobra a mob dude hat, then,” Gee said. “No explanation, just one day he’ll show up in the diner with a New York accent and a cigar in his mouth.”

 

“I don’t think Kobra would smoke, though,” Mikey said. They didn’t see themself as a smoker, and they definitely didn’t see themself as a cigar smoker. 

 

“All the killjoys smoke,” Gee said. “Not a lot, because of health reasons, but it makes them look rebellious and it’s a good way of trading shit. Like, two cigarettes for a can of food, or something like that.”

 

“You’re really bad at capitalism if you think that two cigarettes would be enough for a can of food in the  _ desert _ ,” Mikey said. 

 

“Which one of us has taken an Econ class again?” Gee asked sarcastically. “Oh, right, that’s me. Trust me, I know capitalism. I just also happen to detest it.”

 

“Now that’s gay culture,” Mikey said. “Hating capitalism.”

 

“Make that the group chat name,” Gee said. “And then do your history homework, or whatever you’re doing over there.”

 

“Yes,  _ mom _ ,” Mikey said, and ignored Gee giving them the finger. They’d missed this, being casual with Gee. The two of them built off of each other, bantering back and forth like the best of friends. And they were the best of friends, who just so happened to be related. Mikey couldn’t imagine growing up and hating their sister. They didn’t get people who outright hated their siblings, either. It made sense if someone didn’t really like their sibling because their sibling had a totally different point of view or whatever, but to hate someone you’d grown up with? Mikey couldn’t imagine how much that would suck. 

 

- **mijey** changed the name of the group to  **hating capitalism is gay culture** -

 

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : big fucking mood 

**mijey** : were u lurking or did u just sense it

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i always know when someone is yearning for the end of capitalism

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : also yeah i was lurking

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : are we adding any of the new babies into the chat

**mijey** : uhhhhh idk

**momfriend** : i totally forgot to ask them

**hetty_mcgee** : i can ask sarah when i see her tomorrow at rehearsal

**mijey** : and i can ask gabe and his datemates about it whenever

**bball_ace** : wait so they’re allowed in even though they’re new

**momfriend** : they all identify as an lgbt identity, so they can be in both chats

**momfriend** : but just like with jenna, they can opt out if they’re questioning or don’t want to be in the lgbt only chat

**momfriend** : i’m trying to keep this inclusive, but also safe for everyone

**bball_ace** : i guess that makes sense

**bball_ace** : ignore me lol

**crybabydyke** : wait so if we’re making different group chats for the gsa now can we make a female only chat? so that men can’t invade women’s only and lesbian/bi women’s spaces?

**crybabydyke** : bc there are a lot of wlw out there who don’t feel comfortable talking about certain things in front of males

**momfriend** : yeah totally! that’s a cool idea, and we could co-mod it if you wanted?

**crybabydyke** : we’ll you’re not a real woman so…

**momfriend** : i am tho

**momfriend** : me being transgender has nothing to do with my status as a woman

**crybabydyke** : yeah but you’re basically a guy

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : and you’re basically a bitch but we still let you come to the club meetings

**momfriend** : joe.

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : what?

**crybabydyke** : ugh i hate men, you’re all the same

**mijey** : what the fuck

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : you’re telling me

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : ray i’m dm-ing you a link to a kesha song so that u can use it whenever necessary

**momfriend** : you listen to kesha?

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i’m gay

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : also pete is a trashy late 2000s glitter scene mess and he’s rubbed off on me a bit

**p_wheezy** : more like rubbed off WITH YOU ayee

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : mx wentz may i remind u that u have a boyfriend

**p_wheezy** : you’ll always be my first love, joseph troseph

 

“Mikey, what the fuck is going on in the group chat?” Gee asked, glaring down at her phone like it had wronged her by blowing up with Kik notifications. “Did someone die?”

 

“No, but Melanie was saying transphobic shit and then Joe shut her down like a boss,” Mikey said. They wished they were as good with comebacks as Joe. It seemed like ae always had something brilliantly scathing to say. 

 

“Mikey, it’s 2017 and we have a Cheeto in the White House,” Gee said, turning her phone over. “Don’t say like a boss.”

 

“But Adam Sandler,” Mikey said, pouting. “And Brooklyn 99.”

 

“Valid, but still. No old memes in this household,” Gee said. “And get back to your homework. Joe’s snappy responses will still be there when you’re done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed, and feel free to say hi to me on tumblr @rochellerosswalker!


	76. A Whole Lotta Spencer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA what everyone wants in life. No? Just me? Okay. We can't all be Spencer stans, I guess. 
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter, where many things happen. Also, because I'm so far ahead (thanks NaNoWriMo) I don't remember all the details of this chapter. So, just in case: any views brought up by the characters are not inherently reflective of my own. 
> 
> Yeet, let's go

Spencer was still avoiding Mikey. Mikey couldn’t even be mad with him about it, because Spencer had every right to be pissed off. He thought that Mikey and Gabe were really dating, and even if their fake relationship was open, that didn’t give Mikey the right to sleep with someone else without telling Gabe. Spencer being upset with Mikey made sense. 

 

It didn’t mean that Mikey wasn’t hurt because of it. They’d never really noticed how much of a void Spencer’s presence filled in their life. He was funny, and compassionate, and ready to fight anyone who hurt his friends. And it wasn’t the same, hanging out with Brendon and Dallon and not Spencer. 

 

Mikey also missed Spencer’s house, and his mom, because his house was big and had a huge ass yard, and his mom made kickass food. For a non-Italian white person, she was pretty good. She knew how to use spices, and that was all that Mikey cared about. 

 

“How do I make Spencer not hate me?” Mikey asked Brendon. It was a weight lifting day, which mean that Mikey and Brendon were one pair and Joe and Spencer were another. Mikey and Brendon were over on one of the leg machines, while Spencer and Joe were in the backroom, messing around with barbells and not really doing anything productive. 

 

“Legos,” Brendon said, and wiped some sweat off of her forehead. She lifted a significant amount more than Mikey. Brendon danced, and used to do gymnastics, and unlike Mikey, she actually liked going outside and running around. 

 

“Legos?” Mikey asked, frowning. 

 

“Spencer loves ‘em,” Brendon said. “We can go to Target together so you don’t get something he already has, and then you buy him a set. Boom, insta friendship.”

 

Mikey narrowed their eyes. “Somehow… I don’t believe you.”

 

“I’m his girlfriend,” Brendon said. “You have to believe me. Also, your turn.”

 

“Fuck,” Mikey muttered. They hated weight lifting days. They were not at all strong. They took a deep breath and settled themself into the leg machine, and changed the weight level to a nice, easy thirty pounds. Brendon had had it at 120. Mikey was a little scared of Brendon after seeing her in the weight room. She didn't look at all as strong as she was. 

 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you make me feel really good about myself sometimes,” Brendon said. “Like, with the whole exercise thing. Sometimes I think I’m trying too hard, and then I see you struggling with, like, thirty pounds and I think maybe I’m not that bad.”

 

“Shut up, we’re not all made out of energy,” Mikey said, frowning. “You should give me some of yours, by the way. I hate being tired all the time.”

 

“Dude, I’m tired all the time too,” Brendon said. “Going to sleep is the worst, because I’ll be all bundled up and in the dark, cozy as hell, and my brain won’t stop blasting that Justin Bieber song over and over again. I  _ hate _ Justin Bieber.”

 

“Yeah, I always thought he was a bit of a dick,” Mikey agreed. 

 

Somehow, they got through all of gym, and the rest of the school day. Their legs were sore, and they weren’t looking forward to yet another five hour rehearsal after school. If Tyler still didn’t have his lines down, and Dallon didn’t look at the audience when they spoke… Mikey was going to break something. 

 

Mikey stopped in their tracks outside the theatre. Oh shit. They were becoming a theatre kid. Theatre kids were the  _ worst _ .

 

**mijey** : anyone know a cure for theatre-kid-itis? asking for a friend

**hetty_mcgee** : am i the friend

**mijey** : no actually i’m asking for myself

**dadeth** : ur friends with urself?????

**djspookyjim** : damn dallon that’s harsh

**zoid** : mikey i know ur not here yet but they’re all sitting with each other and laughing like idiots over these messages

**zoid** : i am a mature almost adult and am sitting with pete and andy, discussing important adult things like economics

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : FUCK CAPITALISM

**zoid** : HELL YEAH

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : ur not actually talking econ are u? bc andy hates capitalism more than i do and pete is a thrift store queen or some shit

**zoid** : no actually we were talking about teen titans

**dadeth** : teen titans go SUCKS

**zoid** : i was telling pete that but they keep saying i don’t know shit!!!!

**dadeth** : tell pete to meet me behind the school we can fight

 

Mikey shook their head and walked into the theatre. Sure enough, Dallon, Brendon, Spencer, Josh, and Ashley were all huddled in a circle on the floor, laughing at each other while they messaged the group chat. 

 

Mikey walked over to Lindsey, though, because they didn’t want to deal with Spencer giving them the cold shoulder between scenes. 

 

“Hey there, stranger,” Lindsey said, grinning. It was sporting black lipstick instead of it’s usual red, and it looked a bit like a vampire. “How’ve you been?”

 

“I just had a mid life crisis about becoming a theatre kid, but other than that I’m good,” Mikey said. They sat down in the seat beside Lindsey and kicked their feet up onto the seat in front of them. “How about you guys?”

 

“I’m thinking about going purple,” Pete said. “Blonde’s fun and all, but I miss the wild colours.”

 

“We could both go purple,” Lindsey offered. 

 

Pete’s eyes widened. “What would Joe say? Aren’t you two supposed to be the best of friends?”

 

“Well, ae can always dye aer hair to match,” Lindsey said. “Convenience store dye is only like, ten dollars if you get it on sale.”

 

“It’s free if you don’t dye it at all,” Andy said, smirking from behind Pete. 

 

“Boring,” Lindsey said. “Sounds like something a straight person would say.”

 

“Having weird hair is gay culture,” Pete said. 

 

“I’d say it’s trans culture,” Mikey said. “I mean, have you ever met a trans person with socially acceptable hair?”

 

“Fuck, you’re right,” Pete said, and grinned. They messed up Andy’s hair. “Guess that means you’re still good, huh, buddy? Because your hair is fucking wild!”

 

“It's not that weird,” Andy said. He reached up and touched the top of his head anyway, patting his hair down. Mikey wondered how strange their hair looked to their friends for no one to question if they counted. They hadn't dyed their hair yet, even though they'd thought about it a few times. Mikey did flatiron their hair constantly, to the point that it was really dry and crackly if they washed it every other day. They used more conditioner than shampoo, just to keep the ends of their hair from splitting and falling off. 

 

At around two fourty, Veronica took the stage and directed everyone to get to their positions and start from the jail scene. Mikey was only in the second half, so they left their backpack with Lindsey and Andy, and followed Pete up to the stage. Pete and Spencer sat down at their places in the “cell,” which was currently just a space on the stage squared off with painter's tape. 

 

Spencer and Pete worked well together, with Spencer acting as a sober foil to Pete's more comedic character, Moonface. Pete lounged out across the space as they bemoaned the situation, and Spencer kicked their foot before angrily reminding them that the love of his life was about to get married to someone else. 

 

The irony in all of this was that Spencer’s character was in love with Sarah’s character, who was marrying Dallon’s character. In real life, Spencer would be more worried about losing Dallon to someone else. 

 

Dallon’s character was also going to end up with Brendon’s in the end, just to add to everyone’s confusion. 

 

Mikey came into the scene and did their lines perfectly, remembering to enunciate and face towards the audience so that everyone would be able to understand what they were saying. The real crowd wouldn’t have heard the musical a thousand times over, unlike all of the cast, and so they needed to know what was going on. Brendon was in the third row, and gave Mikey a thumbs up as they finished their lines. 

 

Rehearsal ended early because Tyler didn’t fuck up his lines, and so all of the GSA members decided to grab dinner together. They grabbed Sarah as well, since she was officially a GSA member now that she’d shown up at a meeting, and walked out to the school parking lot as a group. 

 

“Shit, is Spencer the only one here with a car?” Brendon said as they crossed the parking lot. It had started to snow. Not a lot, but enough to frost over the grass and make everything look pretty in the night time. Brendon shivered and huddled up closer to Spencer. “Because I don’t think we can fit everyone in his car.”

 

“I have a car,” Tyler said, raising his hand slowly. “But, uh, I can only have one non-family member in the car with me, because I’ve only had my licence for a few months.”

 

“No one listens to that rule; you can take as many people as you want,” Spencer said. He stood up on his toes and started to count everyone in the group. “There’s only twelve of us, so Tyler and I can each take five people. Where are we going again?”

 

“Taco Bell?” Tyler suggested. 

 

Mikey didn’t miss Spencer rolling his eyes. Brendon elbowed him and he sighed and nodded. “Sure, Taco Bell in the snow. Why not?”

 

“Alright, guys, split up! Half of you are with me, and the other half are with Spencer,” Tyler said, and started towards his car. Unsurprisingly, Melanie, Josh, and Ashley all started to follow him. Pete went as well, dragging Andy behind them. 

 

Spencer watched the six of them go, and then turned to the other half. He shrugged. “Well, that was easier than I expected. Alright, everyone but Dallon in the back.”

 

“What?” Brendon exclaimed. “Why does Dallon get shotgun?”

 

“Because you’re small,” Dallon said. Brendon flipped them off, and they responded by kissing the tip of her nose before getting into the front seat. Lindsey, Brendon, Mikey, and Sarah crawled into the back, with Mikey squished between Lindsey and the window. Sarah was on the other side of Lindsey, with Brendon pressed up against the driver’s side window. 

 

“Well, at least we won’t be cold,” Sarah said as Spencer started up the car. “With all this body heat back here, we’re practically heating ourselves.”

 

“I sure hope so,” Brendon said, shivering. “I’m cold as shit.”

 

Spencer’s car got to the Taco Bell second, and they found the other half of the group already in line. The person behind the cash register looked like she’d rather be anywhere but where she currently was, dealing with twelve teenagers who were all shouting and laughing at each other. Drama kids were loud. Hungry drama kids were even louder. 

 

Once they’d ordered and gotten everyone’s food, they pushed a few tables together and squished in with each other. Mikey ended up between Pete and Ashley. A few months ago, sitting so close to Pete would have made Mikey deliriously happy, but now it was a little awkward. Spencer kept glaring at them from the other end of the table, as though Mikey and Pete were about to start making out in front of everyone. 

 

Mikey wasn’t interested in Pete, though, so that wasn’t going to happen. 

 

“So, apparently Frank’s mom found out that he smokes,” Ashley said. She’d gotten a large side of nachos and cheese, and was twirling her chip around as the cheese dripped off of it. “She’s pissed as fuck, too. Frank’s pretty sure she started yelling at him in Italian.”

 

“Does Frank even speak Italian?” Mikey asked. 

 

Ashley shook her head. “Not that I know.”

 

“Damn,” Mikey said. “Is he grounded?”

 

“Not yet, since he’s been texting me,” Ashley said. “I wouldn’t be surprised, though. Are he and your sister dating, by the way? Because I feel like they are, but no one’s said anything, and I know you guys have some interesting relationships going on in your friend group, so I didn’t want to assume or anything…”

 

“It’s complicated,” Mikey said, letting out a deep sigh. “As far as I know, they’re not, but Frank definitely has a thing for Gee.”

 

“And does Gee have a thing for Frank?” Ashley asked, wiggling her eyebrows. 

 

“No fucking clue,” Mikey said. They didn’t even know if Gee was over Lindsey yet, or if she was still quietly pining from the sidelines while her best friend dated her ex. It was a good thing that Ray and Gee’s friendship was impenetrable, because things could’ve gotten really awkward if Gee had been jealous of Ray and Lindsey dating. 

 

“Ask,” Ashley said. “Because Frank is totally head over heels for her, and I think they’d be cute together.”

 

“People can be cute together and still be a bad idea,” Mikey said. 

 

“You don’t secretly have a crush on Frank, do you?” Ashley asked, her eyes widening. Mikey shook their head aggressively. No. They hadn’t ever had feelings for Frank, other than thinking that he was a cool guy and he didn’t look too bad when he showered and put on some eyeliner. Mikey didn’t ever think about kissing him, or daydream about him, or get lost in his eyes like people did when they were in love. 

 

Mikey and Frank were just friends who had slept together once, and didn’t talk about it. 

 

“Well, that’s good,” Ashley said. “Because that would be fucking awkward.”

 

“You have no idea,” Mikey said. “I think you missed most of the drama in this group, but there were points last semester where I thought we weren’t going to all be friends again.”

 

“Oh, damn,” Ashley said, making a face. “Is there anything I should avoid talking about? Like, to avoid reopening drama. I don’t want to wreck everything; you guys are all super cool.”

 

Mikey opened their mouth, about to warn Ashley about the whole Ryan Ross thing, when Spencer dropped his burrito. It wasn’t on the floor, or anything horrible, but it did fall from his hand with a dangerous sounding splat. His phone was in his other hand, and his hand was shaking as he stared down at the screen. 

 

All eleven of them were watching him, waiting for an explanation. Spencer didn't give one. Still staring at his phone, he grabbed his jacket and got up, slowly moving towards the exit.

 

“Spence,” Dallon said, their eyebrows furrowed. “What’s going on?”

 

“I have to go,” Spencer said. He was still looking at his phone, typing something. “It’s important.”

 

“Spencer!” Brendon shouted as the he opened the door to the Taco Bell and walked out into the cold. She flopped back into her seat, looking rather put off. “What the hell? How are we supposed to get back home now?”

 

“I can take you guys home in shifts?” Tyler suggested. 

 

“More important question,” Andy said, frowning at the door Spencer had disappeared through. “What the hell was that about?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!


	77. Give Me An Answer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA will Mikey and Spencer ever go back to being friends? (the answer is yes, obviously, because they're my two faves IRL and I don't hate myself that much) (the long answer is how and when will those two get their shit together and stop angsting)
> 
> I had this set up as my NaNo novel and I was doing okay until I started working on this really intense art piece for one of my other fics, and now I'm like, four days behind.

Mikey ended up calling their mom and asking her if she could take some of their friends home since Spencer had had to bail early. Their mom didn’t ask why, but agreed to come get Mikey and some of their friends. 

 

Mikey, Lindsey, Brendon, Pete, and Andy all climbed in to Mikey’s mom’s car, and slowly but surely, all of them got home in one piece. Brendon had changed and wiped all of her makeup off in the Taco Bell bathroom before Mikey’s mom got there. Mikey hated the way she seemed to deflate as she left the car and walked up the driveway to her house. It was like there was a magnet in Brendon’s chest, trying to pull her back to the Way’s car. 

 

They couldn’t stop thinking about Brendon, and how sad she seemed, even once they were back home in the basement with Gee. Gee had posted the next update to the Killjoys comic while Mikey had been at rehearsal, and let Mikey look it over. 

 

“Dude, nice,” Mikey said, grinning. “I love Ghoul’s colour scheme, by the way. He’s like Shego, but cooler.”

 

“Shego’s the coolest ever, though,” Gee argued. 

 

“Yeah, but Fun Ghoul is, like, dude Shego,” Mikey said. Mikey knew that Shego had been a lot of girl’s first gay crush, and they could see Fun Ghoul making a bunch of guys figure out they were gay, too. There was just something about him that made him way cooler than Frank. It was probably the hair. Frank’s hair made him look like he was trying too hard to not be a stereotypical trans guy, whereas Fun Ghoul had thick, luscious hair that fell down to his shoulders and made him look like an Italian pornstar. The hot kind, not the sleazy kind. 

 

“So, why did mom have to come pick you guys up from Taco Bell?” Gee asked. “You didn't all walk there, did you?”

 

“No,” Mikey said, biting at the skin around their middle finger. “Spencer had to leave early, or something. I don’t actually know why he left, and he’s not… we’re not really getting on right now, so I don’t think I’m the right person to ask.”

 

Gee frowned. “Did something happen while I was in the hospital? You guys were like, really close.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said. “I did something stupid, Spencer got rightfully angry, and now I’m just waiting it out.”

 

“I can’t leave you alone anywhere, can I?” Gee said. She shook her head, as though she hadn’t also slept with someone she shouldn’t have and gotten into a bunch of drama. Gee smiled at Mikey. “I’m kidding, by the way. And you should ask Spencer about it. Who knows, maybe he’ll respond.”

 

“Whatever happened to the girl who refused to talk to new people, even if they were gay?” Mikey asked, raising an eyebrow. They pulled out their phone and opened kik anyway. They didn't go into their conversation with Spencer, though, because it felt weird. They hadn’t texted Spencer in months, between them taking a break after New Year’s, Spencer being grounded, and then the incident with Pete. 

 

“She went to a mental hospital and realised things could be a lot worse,” Gee said. She nudged Mikey with her shoulder. “Text him. At least you’ll get some kind of closure out of it.”

 

Mikey nodded, and pretended to text Spencer. They’d find out what had happened eventually, either through the main chat or through Brendon. Brendon told Mikey most everything. It was weird, how the two of them had gone from not knowing each other at all to being so close that they told each other secrets no one else knew. Mikey liked all of their friends in the GSA, but for whatever reason, they trusted Brendon the most. 

 

“Did you get a response?” Gee asked. 

 

Mikey stared at her. “It’s been three seconds.”

 

“Well, did you?”

 

“No,” Mikey said. They slid off of Gee’s bed. “I’ll tell you if anything happens.”

 

**hatrick** : what the hell happened at drama rehearsal?

**hurleyxvx** : we went to get food and spencer abandoned us

**p_wheezy** : it wasn’t abandonment

**dadeth** : He had to leave; he hasn’t told Brendon or I why, though.

**hatrick** : family emergency?

**dadeth** : Maybe. But both of his parents seem fine.

**p_wheezy** : ...has anyone actually tried texting him or are we all just throwing out conspiracy theories for the fun of it

**hatrick** : i wasn’t even there, so this isn’t my responsibility

**hurleyxvx** : yeah but he’s ur friend so

**hatrick** : would it be weird for me to do it tho? since i wasn’t there and i don’t know the context or anything

**hatrick** : like did spencer look like he was about to cry or???

**dadeth** : Not really, it was more like he’d just found out something really important, or life changing.

**p_wheezy** : damn dallon that could be anything

**zoid** : maybe it’s not family?

**p_wheezy** : if it’s not his dad dying then what the fuck would it be? spencer isn’t the kind of dude to just run out on his friends

**hurleyxvx** : not to reopen any wounds but what if it involves ryan ross?

**zoid** : oohh shit that’d be wild

**hurleyxvx** : no shit

**dadeth** : Well, there’s nothing we can do but wait. Spencer will tell us eventually.

 

“What’s going on in the group chat?” Gee asked. “My phone keeps going off but I’m in the middle of tumblring.”

 

“That’s not a verb,” Mikey said. “And everyone’s trying to guess what made Spencer leave. Andy thought it might be something involving Ryan Ross, but they went back to Seattle like, three months ago so I don’t know why Spencer would be freaking out about them now.”

 

“Didn’t Ryan have a bad relationship with their dad? Maybe something happened there.”

 

“I hope they’re okay, if it is about Ryan,” Mikey said. They chewed on one of their nails. They didn’t know Ryan very well, and most of their information came from Brendon, who was Ryan’s ex. She was a bit opinionated about them. Ryan had seemed pretty uncomfortable over Christmas break. Mikey hoped that there wasn’t anything really bad between Ryan and their dad, because no one deserved to be abused. 

 

Gee nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

 

Mikey kept biting their nails and refreshing twitter while the groupchat talked about possible reasons for Spencer’s sudden disappearance. Josh suggested aliens at one point, which was promptly followed by Frank telling him to stop watching X-Files. 

 

**djspookyjim** : fuck u i’m watching stranger things

**p_wheezy** : ooh shit when does season 2 come out

**p_wheezy** : they are getting a season 2 right

**p_wheezy** : this isn’t going to be like the get down again is it

**djspookyjim** : ...too soon babe

**fanklin** : WAIT THEY CANCELLED THE GET DOWN

**fanklin** : WHAT THE FUCK

**djspookyjim** : see this is why i wanted everyone to watch it

**hurleyxvx** : i don’t have netflix

**djspookyjim** : i would have given you mine!!

**hurleyxvx** : i don’t think that would affect the ratings since we’d both be on the same account

**djspookyjim** : fuck

**djspookyjim** : frank we failed

**fanklin** : we really did

**fanklin** : we’re the fail bros now

**p_wheezy** : walmart version of the fine bros

**djspookyjim** : as if, we’re the walmart version of the try guys

**fanklin** : josh is ned and pete is his wife that he never shuts the fuck up about

**fanklin** : i’m eugene bc im hot

**hurleyxvx** : no

**fanklin** : ur opinion doesn’t count ur literally not attracted to anyone on any level

 

Mikey went back to twitter, since no one in the chat was doing anything productive. Sometimes, they wished that their friends were better at communicating. It was entertaining to watch them all banter, but Mikey missed the days when the only notifications they got were from twitter and the occasional person on snapchat sending them a pic of their cat. Mikey loved getting cat pics from strangers who followed their twitter account. It was way better than getting dick pics. 

 

Mikey had never gotten a dick pic. They weren’t sure what they would do with one. 

 

“Heard anything from Spencer yet?” Gee asked again. Mikey considered throwing their phone at her, but they knew Gee was only trying to be helpful. 

 

They sighed. “No. Why don’t you try texting him?”

 

“Because I’m on tumblr,” Gee said. 

 

“You can use your phone while you’re on tumblr,” Mikey said. “You do it all the time. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you scrolling tumblr on your phone while you’ve got tumblr up on your laptop. That’s like, tumblr-ception. That’s wild.”

 

“It’s two different experiences,” Gee said. She picked up her phone anyway, and actually texted Spencer. Gee was officially a better person than Mikey, because they hadn’t texted Spencer at all, and they were a little afraid of what would happen if they tried. Spencer wasn’t talking to them in real life; why would he bother responding to Mikey when he could just leave them on read and let Mikey answer their own question?

 

Mikey crossed their legs at the ankles. They needed to change the subject away from Spencer. “What do you think of the new kids in the GSA?”

 

“I don’t know, honestly,” Gee said. “I don’t get the whole lithromantic thing, to be honest. It just seems really unnecessary. I mean, maybe Jenna’s just ace or something, but her telling us she’s lithromantic doesn’t explain anything about her.”

 

“It’s just a label,” Mikey said. “It’s not like she’s trying to tell you and I we have to be lithromantic too.”

 

“I guess,” Gee said, and shrugged. “It just feels weird to me.”

 

“Well, what about people other than Jenna?” Mikey asked, because this conversation was easier than talking about Spencer, even though Gee did look a little irked. “What do you think about them?”

 

“I think Tyler has a superiority complex, Josh came out of the closet too early and now he’s shitting himself because he still has internalised homophobia to deal with, Ashley’s got an obsession with being the most unique, Sarah needs to wear flannel or something because she looks like a straight girl and it scares me a little, and Melanie is a straight up TERF,” Gee said, counting them all off on her fingers. “Oh, and that Zach guy isn’t the worst cishet I’ve met, but I’m not a huge fan.”

 

“Wow,” Mikey said. “You really have some opinions going on in there.”

 

“Yeah, there’s a lot on my brain that I don’t always share,” Gee said. She sighed. “Speaking of which, remind me to talk to Ray about GSA stuff tomorrow. I’ve been Googling shit, and I just want to make sure she knows what’s up.”

 

“Yeah, no problem,” Mikey said. They put a reminder into their phone, because they were horrible at remembering to do things. Gee was, too, which was probably why she’d asked them to remind her in the first place. Hopefully, one of the two of them would remember this conversation tomorrow.

 

Mikey switched over to kik. There, silently taunting them, was their conversation with Spencer. Mikey’s thumb hovered over it, and they took a moment to pause and breath before tapping the conversation. There they were, staring at their last message with Spencer. It wasn’t that old, since Mikey had asked Spencer to pick them up from the party where they slept with Pete. 

 

-private message to  **spooncer** -

 

**mijey** : hey are you doing okay? everyone’s worried after you ran out

 

No response. There was just a D for delivered, but Spencer hadn’t read it yet, and he wasn’t about to start typing back. Mikey wasn’t sure what they’d expected. Spencer wouldn’t tell Mikey first. Mikey was pretty far down on his friend’s list at the moment. 

 

**spooncer** : yea im ok

**spooncer** : ryans here

**spooncer** : u and i aren’t fixed btw

**spooncer** : ur just the one w/ the internet fame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	78. Ryan's Back, Benches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hilarious and I hate myself. What's new.

Word about Ryan’s return to Evansville spread fast. The group chat was a convenient place to share information, and once Mikey sent the initial “Spencer’s alive and Ryan Ross is here apparently” text, Spencer returned to the chat and started explaining everything else. 

 

Apparently, Ryan had never gone back to Seattle after winter break, and had instead turned themself into a bit of a hobo. They’d had a job at McDonald’s until the manager found out that they were a runaway and fired them. They’d eventually ended up on the Evansville University campus, and befriended a guy named Jon, who let Ryan hang out in his dorm to stay warm. Ryan was still with Jon, because Spencer hadn’t told his parents about any of this. 

 

It was Friday, in gym class, and Joe, Brendon, and Mikey were huddled around the bleachers while Spencer and Pete were on the court, playing a game of basketball. Brendon tapped her nails against her lower lip. “Spencer’s gonna do something stupid. I can sense it.”

 

“What kind of stupid?” Joe asked. “Live in a dorm with some random college dude and his childhood friend stupid, or kidnap Ryan and move to LA to become famous actors kind of stupid?”

 

“First of all, Spencer would go to Broadway before Hollywood, and second of all, neither of those things,” Bredon said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know what he’ll do, but it’ll most likely be reckless yet charming, because he’s an idiot but he cares about his friends. More than he admits, usually.”

 

“Do the Smith’s have a basement room?” Mikey asked. 

 

Joe and Brendon gave them equally puzzled looks. Mikey shrugged. “What? If I were going to host Lindsey or Ray or someone in my house without my parents knowing, I’d put them in the basement. No one thinks to check the basement.”

 

“They don’t have a basement,” Brendon said. “Just an attic, but it doesn’t have heating and I doubt Spencer would put Ryan anywhere that they’d freeze to death.”

 

“Would  _ you _ put Ryan somewhere that they’d freeze to death?” Joe asked. 

 

Brendon made a face. “Maybe.”

 

“Harsh,” Joe said. Ae leaned away from Brendon a little, watching her. Mikey didn’t think that Brendon was being serious about that. She didn’t seem like the type to let someone die from the cold just because they’d been a dick to her before. Back when she and Pete had been at each other’s throats all the time, Brendon had never threatened them with violence. She’d only ever been shady. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “We’re not abandoning Ryan Ross in someone’s attic. Or basement.”

 

“Why do you get a say in this?” Brendon asked. 

 

“Because someone has to be the rational adult here,” Mikey said, “and that someone is me.”

 

“You’re the least rational, and least adult, here,” Joe said. Mikey flipped aem off, subtly, so that Coach G didn’t see it. Joe was right, unfortunately. Mikey was the youngest of all of their friends, and they weren’t very rational, either. Mikey didn’t know how much Joe knew about their thing with Pete. Ae knew enough to call Mikey out on it, that was certain.

 

Coach G blew the whistle, and the teams traded out so that Joe, Mikey, and Brendon were all on the court and Spencer and Pete were in the stands. Joe and Brendon were on the same team, thankfully, because after the volleyball incident, Mikey had been terrified that someone would attack Brendon again. At least she wasn’t alone. 

 

Mikey, despite being around five foot ten, was horrible at basketball. They had horrible depth perception, so even though they could dribble okay, they could never score. 

 

Joe didn’t give a shit about the rules, and was more interested in having Brendon’s back and swatting at any ball that came towards her of the opposing team. Brendon wasn’t half bad, whenever she could get her hands on the ball, and actually scored a few points for her team. She was fast and agile, and she also had Joe acting as a personal bodyguard. 

 

Mikey’s team won, and someone from the other team complained that Joe and Brendon shouldn’t be allowed to be on the same team because they were practically cheating. Coach G ignored the comments and called the next pair of teams up to play. Mikey, Brendon, and Joe joined Pete and Spencer on the bleachers. Spencer was back to not looking at Mikey, and Mikey wasn’t going to try and fix things. Spencer just needed time, and Mikey was willing to give him that. They’d fucked up, and they knew it. It wasn’t as though they thought Spencer was being a bitch for no reason. 

 

“So, what’s the plan with Ryan?” Joe asked. Ae leaned forward, cradling aer face in aer hands. 

 

“They’re staying with Jon for now,” Spencer said. The bitter look on his face told Mikey that Spencer didn’t agree with Ryan’s choice, but that he was putting up with it for Ryan’s sake. “I’m gonna try to talk to my mom about it, and see if we can have Ryan stay with us. They’re not going back to Seattle, that’s for sure.”

 

“Is that Ryan’s decision, or yours?” Pete asked. 

 

“Ryan’s,” Spencer said. “Their dad’s pretty fucked up. I don’t think anyone would want them to go back there.”

 

Brendon nodded in agreement. Mikey wondered how she was feeling about all of this. Ryan was her ex, sure, and they’d cheated on her and hurt her, but Ryan was still Spencer’s best friend. Maybe this was Brendon getting over Ryan and coming to terms with what they meant to Spencer. 

 

Mikey sighed. All of their friends were so complicated.

 

It was still cold outside, although most of the snow had turned into ice or slush, and was just plain gross now. Mikey was glad that they stayed inside all day, because they didn’t want to be out in that. They had a seat by the window during their Spanish class, so they could see the track and field kids outside in the cold. It didn’t look fun. 

 

“Dude, seriously, pay attention,” Frank said, kicking Mikey’s leg under the desk. “How the hell are you not failing this class?”

 

“Because I do the homework instead of going to band practice,” Mikey hissed back. Frank flipped them off. Mikey was a little jealous that Frank got to spend hours with Against Me! instead of with a bunch of drama kids. They could probably be in a band now, since they’d gotten over the worst of their stage fright with the help of Brendon and Dallon. 

 

“Band practice is important, theatre kid,” Frank said. He grinned, and turned back in his chair in time to catch Ms. Carzanno’s question. Frank stumbled through the response, because his Spanish sucked, but at least he didn’t look totally clueless. He offered Mikey a high five once he’d answered, which Mikey ignored because they had standards. 

 

Frank shook his head. “Wow, rude.”

 

Mikey kicked Frank’s ankle. “Pay attention.”

 

Frank narrowed his eyes at Mikey but then turned back around to listen to what Ms. Carzanno was talking about. Mikey settled into their chair and looked out the window again. The track kids were still running, and they looked miserable. Mikey hoped that they at least got hot drinks once they were done with their class. Then again, they’d all chosen to take an outdoor class during spring semester, when it was cold for the first three months. 

 

For a moment, Mikey wondered what their life would have been like if their parents had forced them and Gee to participate in sports when they were kids. Mikey had done kiddie softball when they were younger, and Gee had tried soccer for a few seasons before quitting. 

 

Mikey and Gee weren’t meant to be jocks. Gee smoked now, and Mikey hated running or doing anything that involved exercise. They didn’t think they were unhealthy, but they definitely weren’t fit. They’d probably get eaten in a zombie attack, if there ever was one in Evansville. 

 

**bihalsey** : alright class is boring what’s everyone doing this fine late february weekend

**mijey** : suffering, most likely

**bihalsey** : dark

**spooncer** : i’m going to hang out with ryan and jon probably

**p_wheezy** : i’m gonna smoke weed and bother andy, anyone want to join me?

**hurleyxvx** : ho

**hurleyxvx** : *no

**p_wheezy** : andy how could you i’m not a ho

**hurleyxvx** : that’s debatable and you know it

**hurleyxvx** : also i lowkey hate you for dragging me into your fucking theatre adventure because now i have no fucking free time and i’m literally doing my hw for my next class right now

**hurleyxvx** : i’m so stressed

**p_wheezy** : dude u didn’t have to audition

**hurleyxvx** : like i would ever abandon you to the horrifying world of theatre kids

**mijey** : u realise like half of gay club is theatre kids right

**hurleyxvx** : we’re all a bunch of theatre gays

**bball_ace** : pete, you’re not actually going to smoke weed, are you? do you have any idea how bad that is for you? and it’s also illegal

**bihalsey** : tyler i smoke weed

**p_wheezy** : JOIN ME

**bihalsey** : dm me ur address and sure why the fuck not

**bihalsey** : @ mikey is frank in class w u

**mijey** : yeah but he’s paying more attention than i am and i’m not gonna ask him if he wants to smoke up with u and pete right in the middle of class

**mijey** : i’m not getting detention for ur weed adventure

**bihalsey** : u suck

**bball_ace** : ash, mikey’s just being responsible

**bball_ace** : u guys can have fun without weed, you know. smoking all the time makes you seem like a dumb pot head

**bihalsey** : i am a dumb pot head

**p_wheezy** : yeet

**mijey** : dollar in the jar

**p_wheezy** : FUCk

**p_wheezy** : wait do you still have it

**mijey** : yeah

**p_wheezy** : how in the fuck

 

The bell rang, and Mikey quickly shoved all of their things into their backpack before following Frank out of the classroom. They told Frank about Pete and Ashley’s plan, and Frank said he’d be down for it. Mikey didn’t know why they hadn’t been invited, since they’d been hanging out with Frank and Ashley together a lot, but they weren’t going to ask about it. It was probably best to keep some space between themself and Pete, especially if there was going to be weed involved. 

 

“What do you have next period?” Frank asked. 

 

“English,” Mikey said. It was the last period of the day. Mikey wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, because they hadn’t read the assigned short story, but they weren’t going to skip. They were a fast reader, and good at bullshitting through things. 

 

“Wanna skip with me?” Frank asked. “I’m almost out of cigarettes and I don’t want to walk all the way to Huck’s alone.”

 

“Can’t you just go after school?” Mikey asked.

 

“My mom picks me up, and she doesn’t like me smoking,” Frank said. He rolled his eyes. Frank’s mom had a point. Smoking wasn’t that cool; nearly everyone in Mikey’s family smoked, and it didn’t make any of them seem cool, or badass or anything. It just made the house smell funny all the time, and there were ashtrays everywhere. 

 

“I’m not going with you,” Mikey said. “I have a test.”

 

“On a Friday? Dude, that sucks,” Frank said, and patted Mikey on the back. 

 

Mikey shrugged. They were lying about the test anyway. “At least it’s not a Monday test. Those are the fucking worst.”

 

“Hell yeah they are,” Frank said. He pulled his headphones out of his pocket and started to unwind them. “Well, if you’re not coming with, I guess I’ll see you on Monday, then. Assuming I don’t get pneumonia and die because I was out alone in the cold wilderness.”

 

“Shut up,” Mikey rolled their eyes and elbowed Frank. Frank laughed, and flashed Mikey a peace sign before disappearing into the swarm of kids. Mikey pulled out their own earbuds and made their way to their English class. Whatever. They weren’t Frank’s keeper, anyway. He could do whatever he wanted.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	79. Leave Room For Jesus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains heterosexuals.

Frank dropped into the pew next to Mikey. Ashley was with him, somehow, wearing a dress that was not at all church appropriate and would probably make Mikey’s dad say something about how women these days are all turning into sluts. Mikey’s dad’s opinion on women didn’t matter at all, though, because he was an old dude from a Catholic family, and Catholics were fucking weird about things that didn’t matter. 

 

Mikey frowned. “Why’s Ashley here?”

 

“My mom thinks I’m a lesbian and that Ashley’s my girlfriend,” Frank said, rolling his eyes. “And now she’s trying to make us go to church together because she doesn’t want me dating a non-Christian girl.”

 

“Did you tell her Ashley already had a girlfriend?” Mikey asked. They looked past Frank, to see that Ashley had her phone out and was checking instagram instead of listening to the pastor. Then Mikey remembered that Frank’s mom didn’t know he was trans and thought he was a girl. “Wait, your mom’s cool with you being gay?”

 

“I guess,” Frank said. “Now I just have to convince her that me having short hair doesn’t make me a lesbian, it makes me a dude.”

 

“That’s…” Mikey trailed off. They didn’t actually have words for Frank’s situation with his mom. “Did you at least get your cigarettes?”

 

“Yeah,” Frank said. “I need more cash, though, because I only have two dollars left now.”

 

“Sucks,” Mikey said. Gee stepped on their foot, glaring at them and pressing her finger to her lips. Mikey stuck out their tongue, but turned towards the front of the church and pretended to care what the pastor was saying. Priest, whatever. It wasn’t as though Mikey could go to heaven, anyway, so they didn’t care much about the details. 

 

“By the way, Pete’s fucking weird when they’re stoned,” Frank whispered. 

 

Gee reached around Mikey to smack Frank in the back of the head. She hissed, “seriously, guys, shut up. I don’t want to get in trouble again.”

 

“Oh, yeah, Gabe got banned from Youth Group after that stunt he pulled the other week,” Ray said. She was on the other side of Gee, and she looked pretty proud of what Gabe had done. 

 

Gee shook her head. “You’re all children.”

 

“As are you,” Ray said. Gee glared at her for a moment, but then they all settled in and sat through the service. The longer it went on, the lower the five of them got in their seats. Ashley didn’t look up from her phone once, and Mikey kept looking over to see if she’d switched apps yet, but she was still on instagram. 

 

Mikey was slightly intimidated. They didn’t have an instagram, but they knew what it was and they couldn’t see how anyone could spend an hour and a half just scrolling through it. Mikey didn’t know how many people Ashley was following, but it was impressive. 

 

As soon as the service was over, though, all of them bolted out the back door of the church. Mikey’s parents and Lena were headed to their respective Sunday Schools, but Mikey figured no one in youth group would mind if the Way kids were no-shows. Mikey had never officially been kicked out of a youth group before, but they wouldn’t be surprised if it happened sometime soon. 

 

There was a boy scout building across the parking lot, hidden up in the trees that surrounded the church. It was unlocked most Sundays, even though the youth group no longer used it. Ray wiggled the door handle, and sure enough, it swung open. She shook her head. “This is one hell of a security risk.”

 

“Not my issue,” Frank said, pulling out a cigarette and striding in. Gee followed him, asking if she could have one as well. She and Ashley were both given cigarettes, with Ray and Mikey declining when Frank asked if they wanted to smoke. The five of them headed to the upstairs room and grabbed some beanbags. 

 

Mikey kicked their feet up onto the couch that Ashley and Gee were smoking on. “So, what’ve you guys been up to? Other than getting accused of lesbianism, of course.”

 

“Jesus Christ,” Frank muttered, rolling his eyes. 

 

“You fucked Jesus?” Ray exclaimed, her eyes widening comically. She held the pose for a moment before collapsing in giggles, and Frank flipped her off before laughing as well. Ray shook her head. “Sorry. I just… we’re at a church, and the timing was perfect and everything.”

 

“I could tell,” Frank said. “You know, for a mom, you’ve got some pretty good dad jokes.”

 

“Do we have a dad in the group?” Ashley asked. Everyone else chorused, “Dallon,” and Ashley put her hands up like she was getting arrested. “Well, okay then. Guess we do have a dad. And Mikey, to answer your question, we didn’t do much this weekend. We just smoked weed and played video games at Pete’s house, mostly. Andy’s really good at GTA.”

 

“No, we were just too fucking stoned to give a shit,” Frank said. “I totally would have beaten him if I hadn’t been stoned. I’m good at GTA.”

 

“Sure, and I bet you act like a twelve year old boy when you’re playing live, right?” Gee asked. Frank flipped her off as well. She blew smoke into the air. “What? Am I wrong?”

 

“No,” Frank said, sighing. 

 

Mikey heard someone talking, and paused. They sat up in their beanbag, and held up a finger to tell everyone else to be quiet for a moment. Gee furrowed her eyebrows, tapping her cigarette against the abandoned plastic cup that they were using as a makeshift ashtray. Mikey swallowed, and heard the sound of the main door to the building clicking closed. Ray swore under her breath. 

 

“I told you no one locks this place,” a guy’s voice said. “It’s the perfect place to make out.”

 

“Are you sure?” a girl whispered back. Her whisper was pretty loud, though, since Mikey and their friends could hear it up here. “I don’t want to get caught…”

 

“We won’t, don’t worry,” the guy said. 

 

Mikey looked back at their friends. None of them had moved, and there were three thin trails of smoke rising into the air from where Ashley, Frank, and Gee were all holding their cigarettes up. Hopefully, the straight couple wouldn’t come up the stairs and find them. Gee, Frank, and Ashley were all underage, and Ashley didn’t look at all like a good little Catholic girl. She had bright blue hair and matching lipstick, for fucks sake. 

 

“Should we go upstairs?” the girl asked. Mikey looked around the room at all of the windows, wondering if any of them would be safe to jump down from. Probably not, since they were on the second floor and the entire building was surrounded by concrete. There was, however, a second story balcony somewhere, because Mikey had seen it from the outside, but they didn’t know how to get there from this room. 

 

“Oh come on, like anyone would think to check in here for us,” the guy said. 

 

Ray rolled her eyes and whispered, “it’s always the cocky guy who dies early in horror films, right?”

 

“We’re not a horror film,” Gee hissed back. 

 

“I wish we were,” Ashley said, and took another drag from her cigarette.

 

Mikey put their finger to their lips. “Shut up, Jesus fucking Christ. We’re gonna get caught.”

 

There was a gasp from down below. Mikey tensed, but then they heard the girl giggling and realised that she and the guy were just making out or whatever Christian kids considered saucy. They relaxed a little, and then started crawling towards the stairs that led back down to the first floor. They weren’t going to creep on the couple, but they wanted to see where they’d ended up. If there was a clear shot between the stairs and the door, then Mikey and their friends could get out. If not… they might be up here for a bit.

 

Unfortunately, the straight couple was making out on a couch right by the front door. Mikey shook their head and slowly made their way back to the rest of the group. They shook their head. “They’re right by the door.”

 

“Fuck,” Ashley said. “We’re gonna be stuck here forever.”

 

“Not if they have sex,” Frank whispered, wiggling his eyebrows. “Teenage boys last like two minutes, tops.”

 

“I hate you,” Gee whispered. 

 

“Wait, Charlie, did you hear something?” the girl said suddenly. She sounded absolutely terrified. Mikey bit down on their lip, suppressing nervous laughter. It wasn’t as though they and their friends were scary, or creepy monsters waiting for the right moment to strike. They were just another group of teenagers who didn’t want to go to youth group. 

 

“Maybe?” the guy said. “What, do you still think someone’s in here?”

 

“I think it came from upstairs…” she stage-whispered. Mikey rolled their eyes. Straight people were fucking dumb sometimes. 

 

“I’ll go check,” the guy said. 

 

All five of them looked at each other, and then there was a sudden flurry of panic. Frank threw his cigarette butt on the ground and then slammed his foot down on top of it, Ashley and Gee both tossed their butts into the cup, and Ray pulled Mikey away from the stairs and back behind the couch. 

 

“What are you guys doing up here?” the guy said, looking over the top of the stairs at the five of them. Ray had her arms around Mikey. Frank was still in a dramatic pose from where he was trying to put out his cigarette. Ashley was splayed over the couch, daintily holding the cup of smoking cigarette butts. Gee was standing in the middle of the room, looking like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. The guy took them all in, and curled his lip up. “Were you _ smoking _ in here? Do you have any idea how bad that is for you? And that it’s illegal?”

 

“So’s whatever you were doing with your girlfriend, but we weren’t gonna call you out on that,” Ashley said. She set the cup down on the floor and sat up, lounging across the old couch like a queen. “And we were here first, so you two are gonna have to find somewhere else to deflower yourselves.”

 

“Don’t be gross,” the guy said, rolling his eyes. “I bet you’re a slut anyway, with the way you dress.”

 

“I’m actually not, but way to generalise,” Ashley said. She flipped him off. “Now kindly fuck off. My friends and I were having a good time until you two came in without knocking.”

 

The guy huffed, but he actually went back down the stairs to talk to his girlfriend. Mikey and the others listened to them argue for a while. The girlfriend was willing to just leave, but the guy was insistent that they stick around, since Mikey and their friends had been doing illegal things and didn’t have a right to be in here. Mikey thought that was a bit hypocritical, since none of them were technically supposed to be in this building, as none of them were boy scouts. 

 

Finally, though, the straight couple left, and Mikey and their friends were left alone to do as they pleased for the rest of the hour. Frank and Gee both smoked a second cigarette, while Ashley, Mikey, and Ray found some decks of cards and started playing Go Fish, which quickly devolved into a giant cheating scandal. Mikey hadn’t even realised it was possible to cheat at Go Fish, but apparently anything was possible with Ashley Frangipane. 

 

“Hey, we should probably get going,” Gee said, pulling out her phone. “It’s almost time for Sunday School to let out and I don’t want mom and dad to get suspicious.”

 

“You should probably spray yourself with something,” Ashley said. She unzipped her purse and pulled out an ocean scented body spray. “To cover up the cigarette smell. I usually use this, and it doesn’t smell too girly, so Frank can use it too if he wants.”

 

Mikey glanced over at Frank. Did Ashley not know that he was trans, or was this her way of being supportive? It was cool, either way, because it meant that Ashley, a cis, was treating Frank like a guy and Gee like a girl, and she wasn’t really questioning it. 

 

Gee shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. My parents both smoke, so I doubt they’ll notice.”

 

“What brand do they use?” Frank asked. “Because different brands smell different. Like, those really long old lady cigarettes smell like old people homes, and then Pall Mall’s usually smell like ass.”

 

“How the hell do you know this?” Ashley asked. 

 

Frank shrugged. “New Jersey is wild, my dude. That, and I started with Pall Mall’s because I didn’t have a lot of money but they were so gross that I had to switch.”

 

“Lena smokes Capris, I think,” Gee said as the five of them headed back down the stairs. Mikey had never paid attention to the brand of cigarettes that their parents, Lena, or Gee smoked, because to Mikey, all cigarettes smelled the same. They were all gross, and Mikey didn’t have any interest in trying them. 

 

Their parents and Lena were talking to Ray’s parents when the five of them finally returned to the church. Gee and Ray bullshitted their way through Ms. Toro’s questions about the Sunday School lesson, and the other three just smiled and nodded and acted like they knew exactly what was going on. 

 

At some point, Ashley and Frank left with his mom. Ashley waved at the Way kids and Ray. “I’ll see you guys on Monday!”

 

“Bye Ash,” Mikey said, flashing her the peace sign before she and Frank went through the doors. Part of them hoped that she’d be back with Frank next week, because it was nice to have friends at church. It made Mikey feel less alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos below if you enjoyed! 
> 
> Also, I can (kind of) draw, so would anyone want me to make little nohic stickers/merch for the holidays? bc i can probably figure out redbubble and put them up there if anyone's interested


	80. Snow and Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this like... three weeks ago, but this weekend there was snow where I live. It was awesome, especially because I found out I'm getting paid for the shift I couldn't go to because the mall closed early. Fuck yeah. 
> 
> Also, the secrets in this chapter aren't... horrific. Just, Mikey sees something they didn't plan to. 
> 
> Also also: in regards to Melanie Martinez, character and person. The Melanie character was originally going to be written out around the time of prom in this fic, but because of recent events, I'm moving that up to approx. six chapters from now. I don't support rapists or sexual predators, and I'm not going to give Melanie any more screen time, considering the woman she's based off of is a rapist. 
> 
> Other than that, please enjoy the chapter, and don't ask why I uploaded it at one in the morning. Time isn't real.

School ended up getting cancelled on Monday, because there’d been about four inches of snow overnight, and no one knew what to do about that. Evansville didn’t get that much snow. Usually, they got an inch or two in January, and then suffered through gross, cold spring rain for the next month and a half afterwards. 

 

This year, however, the weather was all kinds of fucked up, and Mikey and Gee got to sleep in for a few more hours. 

 

Their lazy day in didn’t last long, because only an hour after Mikey had fallen back asleep, their mom was banging on the door to their room. Mikey groaned and rolled over, hiding under their pillow and hoping she’d just go away. 

 

“Mikey, Gee! Get up, you nerds!” a voice that clearly wasn’t their mom’s shouted. Mikey took the pillow off of their head and sat up, squinting at the door. There was more banging, and then Patrick saying, “Jesus Christ, Pete. You’re gonna break their door down and then Ms. Way is gonna kill you.”

 

“She wouldn’t do that, I’m her favourite,” Pete said, without stopping. A second pair of fists joined Pete, and that was enough chaos for Mikey to grab their glasses and get off of their bed. They grabbed a blanket off the floor and wrapped it around their shoulders and then headed to the door. They swung it open to see Pete and Josh grinning at them, both of their fists raised in the air. Josh’s hair was lavender now, and sticking out from under his striped beanie. Pete grinned. “Morning, sleeping beauty. Where’s your sister?”

 

“Asleep,” Mikey said. “Like a normal person.”

 

Josh shook his head. “Boring. Whatever happened to carpeing the diem?”

 

Patrick sighed from behind them. “That’s not how that phrase works.”

 

“How did you guys all get into my house?” Mikey asked, because that was more important than Josh’s inability to use Latin phrases. “Did my mom really let you guys down here? And isn’t it like, eight in the morning?”

 

“The snow waits for no one,” Josh said. “And your mom and grandma were cool with it. Everyone else is upstairs, by the way. We’re driving around in Joe and Spencer’s cars and getting everyone to go hang out and mess around in the snow.”

 

“If you add in Starbucks as a stop, I can probably convince Gee to get up and come with us,” Mikey said. A day out in the snow with their friends would be pretty cool. “Do you know if Vanderburgh County cancelled school too? Because we could grab Gabe, Willow, and Travie too if they’re not in school.”

 

“I think so,” Josh said. “We’ll go figure that out while you get Gee up. Cool?”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Mikey said. They closed the door and went to rouse Gee. It took a few times, but eventually she got up and was coherent enough that Mikey felt comfortable gathering their stuff and heading to the bathroom to get ready. They decided against a shower because they didn't want to go out into the cold with wet hair, and instead just got their hair damp enough that they could straighten it without burning everything. 

 

They had a new beanie, which was a deep royal blue and had sparkly fabric woven into it, and they wanted to wear that over their hair. It was a lot cooler than one of their usual grey beanies. Mikey shook their head at themself in the mirror. They had way too many beanies. The blue one looked good, though, and it was nice to be wearing some colour for once. 

 

They knocked on their bedroom door before opening it again, in case Gee was naked or anything. She wasn’t, and was instead gathering her own clothes to change into. Mikey tossed their pajamas onto their bed. “I’m going upstairs so that no one thinks we fell back asleep.”

 

“God, we would do that, wouldn’t we?” Gee said, and laughed. And then she yawned, because neither Way sibling liked being awake before noon, especially if they didn’t have school or church or any other reason to be awake so early. 

 

Upstairs, it was really loud. For a moment, Mikey felt like they’d walked into a Way family Christmas, where the Italian side of the family was all together and they were all loud and drunk and screaming at each other over nothing. Way family Christmases were actually pretty great, whenever they could get the whole family together. 

 

“When you said everyone, you weren’t kidding,” Mikey commented to Josh. Sure enough, most of their friends were already here. Sarah, the girl from drama class, was leaned against the counter and drinking from a mug of hot chocolate with Spencer, while Brendon was doing a dramatic reenactment of something. Pete was showing Lena something on their phone, while Joe and Patrick were making the salt and pepper shakers have a dance off. Andy was on the other side of Josh, with a scarf pulled up over the bottom half of his face, and Ray and Lindsey were helping themselves to some dry cereal while Mikey’s mom asked them about school. 

 

“Yeah, and we’re not done,” Josh said. He grinned, and showed Mikey his phone. It was open to a group message in kik, with Josh, Tyler, and Ashley, and the two of them were practically screaming at Josh not to leave them out of this little adventure. 

 

Mikey raised an eyebrow. “Not Melanie?”

 

“I asked her privately, and she said something about not wanting to be around potential rapists,” Josh said. He frowned. “I don’t know what she was talking about. None of your friends have ever acted like… rapists or anything. Melanie’s kind of weird about that stuff, though. She’s  _ the _ most stereotypical tumblr feminist I’ve met. She’s a cool person, and wicked smart, but she’s really annoying when it comes to sexism. Tyler tried to hold a door open for her and Jenna once, and Melanie called him a rampant misogynist for it, and told Jenna to get better taste in men.”

 

“That’s… wild,” Mikey said, because they didn’t have a better word for it. “Just… just so you know, she’s not what most feminists are like. Most of them are really cool. I mean, Lena’s a feminist.”

 

“Yeah, well your grandma’s also not crazy,” Josh said. “Melanie’s crazy when it comes to men. And not, like, in a straight person way. She’s only into girls, and I think she straight up hates men.”

 

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Mikey said. 

 

“Gee! You’re awake!” Ray said, grinning as Gee came up from the basement. Gee stuck her tongue out at Ray, because her mom and Lena were both there and she couldn’t actually flip Ray off. Ray grinned. “Come on, we still have to get Frank, Gabe, Travie, and Willow.”

 

“And Ashley and Tyler,” Josh called out. “They’ll come to my house and shave off my hair if we leave them out. I have text proof.”

 

“You two have some strange friends,” Mikey’s mom said, shaking her head. She hugged Gee and Mikey both. “Be safe, both of you. Stay warm, too. It’s supposed to get down to the tens today, and it doesn’t look like the sun will be coming out any time soon.”

 

“We’ll be safe, don’t worry,” Gee said. She and Mikey followed their friends out the door, and through the snow. There were footprints everywhere, with one set all over the Way’s front yard. Gee pulled her hat down over her ears. “Who was that?”

 

“Dallon,” Spencer said. Dallon bowed, and Spencer stole their hat for a moment. The two of them, along with Brendon, Sarah, and Andy, got into Spencer’s car. Spencer stood up on the side of his car, leaning over the top. “I’ll go get Ashley and Tyler, if you guys want to go towards downtown? We can meet up at Laura’s apartment if you want?”

 

Joe gave a thumbs up and unlocked aer car. 

 

“Wait, I should go with you,” Josh said, splitting off from the group. “Trade me for Andy; I know where Tyler and Ashley both live.”

 

“Sure. Andy, get the fuck out,” Spencer said into his car. Mikey heard laughter coming from inside, and then the door open and Andy crawled back out over Sarah. He jogged across the snow covered lawn to Joe’s van, high-fiving Josh on his way over, and slid into the front seat beside Patrick. 

 

Eventually, everyone was in a car, and Joe drove off towards Frank’s house. Mikey, Gee, and Ray were in the back, with Lindsey and Pete in the middle seats and Patrick, Andy, and Joe in the front. Mikey wasn’t sure how they would fit two more people into the car, but they believed in the power of the Trohmobile and they knew that Frank was small. They could probably fit him into a cup holder if they had to.

 

“You dumbass you passed Gabe’s house!” Pete screeched. 

 

Joe let out a scream. “I know what I’m doing! I’m getting Frank first!”

 

“I hate this family,” Andy wailed, imitating a small child having a tantrum. Patrick pressed Andy’s head against the passenger side window. Andy awkwardly swatted at Patrick’s head. “Mom, Patrick’s bullying me.”

 

“I’m not your mom,” Pete said. 

 

“I was talking to Joe,” Andy said, and flipped Pete off over the back of the seat. 

 

“Joe’s the worst mom,” Lindsey said. It propped it’s feet up on the back of Patrick and Andy’s seat, and Joe managed to dab in response while still driving. 

 

Mikey leaned over the middle seats. “Dollar in the jar! No dabbing!”

 

“Fuck!” Joe screeched, and swerved across two lanes of traffic without killing anyone. Ae pulled up into Frank’s driveway. Instead of everyone getting out, just to climb back in again, Joe, Patrick, and Lindsey got out to go get Frank. Joe, because ae were the driver, Patrick, because he was the sweetest looking of the group, and Lindsey, because Frank’s mom knew it and wouldn’t think some random kids were kidnapping her son. 

 

Frank was already dressed in about six layers, and streaked across his front yard and lept at the van. Pete squeaked but managed to grab Frank and keep him from falling back out and collapsing in the snow. Frank laughed, and sat down on the floor of the car before pulling out a cigarette and trying to light it. He winked back at Mikey, Gee, and Ray. “She can’t toss ‘em if she can’t find ‘em.”

 

“You’re gonna die of lung cancer at the age of twelve,” Ray said. 

 

Frank glared. “I’m fifteen.”

 

“Really? With the way you act and your height, I would have guessed that you were five,” Ray said, grinning. 

 

Frank pouted. “Fuck you, Raya.”

 

“Are we calling you Raya now?” Gee asked as Lindsey, Patrick, and Joe got back into the van. “Is that a thing?”

 

Ray(a) shrugged. “Sure. Why not.”

 

“Sweet,” Joe said. “Now let’s go get the Harrison kids.”

 

Ae pulled back out of Frank’s street, ignoring the weird looks ae got from the guys at the the repair shop next door. Frank was still in the floor, and he didn’t move when Gabe joined them. Gabe ended up in the back between Ray and Mikey, and then Willow and Travie grabbed spots on the floor of the van as well. Travie looked like ze was having the most fun, treating Joe’s driving like a roller coaster. 

 

Willow gripped the nearest thing to her as Joe took a sharp turn (the thing turned out to be Pete’s leg). “Stop egging aem on. We’re gonna fucking die.”

 

“I love death and dying,” Pete said, and patted Willow on the head. 

 

“Leave my girlfriend alone,” Gabe said. “It’s not her fault she can’t handle a little fun.”

 

“I’m on the floor of a van being driven by a person who got aer license six months ago,” Willow said, holding Pete’s leg tighter. “I think I’m allowed to be freaking out.”

 

“Joe’s a great driver,” Travie said, and pushed zir glasses up zir nose. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Thanks Trav,” Joe said from the front of the van. Mikey settled in beside Gabe and closed their eyes, wishing they had coffee or something to eat, because they were fucking tired. They weren’t sure where Laura’s apartment was, but they assumed it would be somewhere near the university. 

 

“Hey, change in plans,” Frank said. “Laura’s friend Jon did an article on this coffee place by UE and they’re open today. It’s closer than any of the Starbucks, and I mean, coffee is coffee, right?”

 

“How dare you,” Gee said. “Coffee is good, and there are so many different flavours and brews! Hell, even a different barista could shift how your coffee tasted, so no, it’s not just  _ coffee is coffee _ , it’s fucking important, and if you can’t--”

 

“Shut up, Gee, don’t be so pretentious,” Mikey said in a perfect imitation of the guy from Project Runway. They slid their glasses down their nose. “It’s fucking bean water.”

 

“Dollar in the jar?” Pete asked, arching their eyebrows. 

 

Lindsey shook it’s head. “Project Runway references don’t count, since we’re all gay and half of us are into art and fashion shit, anyway. Sorry Pete, the sin jar is still Mikey’s.”

 

“Fuck,” Pete said. They turned around and faux glared Mikey down. “One day… I’m gonna get that fucking jar, and you’ll never hear the end of it.”

 

“Yeah, and then you’ll immediately lose it because your entire vocabulary is just regurgitated internet memes,” Andy said. 

 

Pete rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, SAT vocab sheet.”

 

Joe pulled up in front of a brick building. Spencer’s car was already there, but Mikey could see their friends taking off their jackets inside the shop. They hadn’t been waiting for too long. Mikey waited for everyone else to get out before climbing over the seats and heading inside. Their glasses fogged over, and they wiped them off on the hem of their sweater. 

 

Mikey wasn’t sure why they were wearing a sweater. Sweaters were ugly, and most of Mikey’s made them look feminine. Mikey didn’t mind painting their nails, or experimenting with makeup, but they didn’t want people to look at them and assume they were a girl. Ideally, no one would be able to guess if Mikey was a guy or a girl, and they’d have to just address Mikey in completely neutral terms. Mikey wanted to be a bit of an enigma to the cis. Their black and grey sweater wasn’t doing that for them. 

 

“Hey, I love your sweater,” Dallon said, as if they were reading all of the insecurities on Mikey’s mind. “Where’d you get it?”

 

“Uh, Kohl’s, I think,” Mikey said. “I don’t really remember.”

 

“That’s cool,” Dallon said. They pushed their bangs out of their face. Dallon had really fluffy looking hair. “I need more sweaters, honestly. They’re so damn cozy.”

 

“You seem like a dad sweater kind of person,” Mikey said. Dallon smiled down at them. They considered just hanging back with Dallon while everyone else got coffee, but then they yawned and changed their mind. They didn’t know what today was going to entail, but they knew they wanted to be caffeinated for it. 

 

There were enough of them to take over the whole cafe, and everyone was spread out over the multiple tables and bar stool chairs. Mikey was on a bar stool looking out the front window, and they were sitting between Joe and Dallon. They leaned forward and breathed on the window, watching it fog up. Without hesitation, Joe leaned over and drew a little cross-eyed smiley face in the fog. 

 

“Why’s he cross eyed?” Mikey asked. 

 

“How do you know it’s a guy?” Joe asked, and added eyelashes. “She’s a beautiful lady, Mikey. Don’t make fun of her.”

 

“Sorry window face,” Mikey said. Dallon gave them a questioning look, but Mikey ignored it. If Dallon had missed the front half of the conversation, that was their own fault for paying more attention to Brendon. 

 

Of course, Brendon was much easier to pay attention to. She was louder and prettier than Mikey, even when she was bundled up in a bunch of layers and gloves. 

 

Once everyone had finished their coffee, they all headed outside and decided to walk to the nearby park to have an epic snowball fight. It was Jon’s idea, and even though Mikey didn’t know the guy, they liked his plan. 

 

The rules were pretty simple. Laura and Jon, being the oldest, were the recruiters. Everyone else was prey, and they got two minutes to hide out in the park while Jon and Laura made snowballs to attack with. Jon and Laura would be “hunting” their friends, and if they hit anyone with a snowball, that person belonged to Jon or Laura’s team. Jon and Laura’s goal was to get as many teammates as possible in a fifteen minute period, and everyone else’s job was to keep from getting hit in that fifteen minute period. 

 

There was a second layer, however, because Jon was a college kid and clearly he had too much free time to think these things up in. If Jon tagged someone with a snowball, and then a prey tagged that same person, that person became free again. However, if Jon or Laura re-tagged that person, they went back to being captured. Also, anyone who had been hit with a snowball couldn’t be re-hit for thirty seconds, and they had to verbally scream the countdown so that everyone knew they’d been hit. 

 

Mikey had a feeling that this was going to be really fun, and that they were probably going to lose their voice. Their jacket was black, and the snow was still a pure white because most people were asleep or at home. There were not a lot of trees, either, so Mikey didn’t have a lot of good places to go.

 

“Alright, prey, your two minutes starts… now!” Jon said, and put his phone back in his pocket. Everyone scattered.

 

Mikey just started running, because they had no idea where to go, and they knew they only had two minutes to find a good spot. It would have been a lot easier if they weren’t competing for space with twenty other people. Mikey looked up at the trees, searching for any low branches that they could use to climb up and hide out like a bird. They found one, and attempted to climb it, but their gloves kept getting in the way. 

 

Mikey pulled their gloves off with their teeth and shoved them under their armpits. “Fuck it, who cares if my fingers fall off.”

 

Having their gloves under their armpits was a bad idea, because they dropped their gloves immediately, and so they picked them up, bit into the thumbs of both gloves, and tried again. This time, they made it up, and they started climbing until they were a good way up. There was snow collected on the branches. Mikey put their gloves back on and rubbed their hands together for a few moments before scooping up some snow and forming a ball. They made about five before pausing, because they saw a figure moving down below. 

 

Mikey took a deep breath and held it, watching the figure to try and figure out who it was. They breathed a quiet sigh of relief when they realised it was only Ryan, but didn’t call out. They didn’t want anyone to know about their spot, because they’d come up with a plan. Up here, no one could really see them, but they had a pretty good view of the forest and the park. Mikey didn’t have the greatest arm, but if any of their friends got hit and came through here, Mikey could probably hit them and make them free again. 

 

Also, if none of the prey knew Mikey was up here, none of them could get them if they got turned. Mikey was going to be a silent vigilante. 

 

They rolled their eyes at that thought. They weren’t that cool. 

 

Across the park, Frank started counting down from thirty. Mikey heard someone mutter, “ah fuck” under their breath, followed by rapid footsteps. Mikey turned around to see Jon half running, half crawling, across the open area. It was like he was trying to stay stealthy, but Mikey could see everything from up here. It was kind of awesome. 

 

Brendon got caught by Jon, but about a minute later, she walked under Mikey’s tree. Mikey waited until she was a bit farther away, and then hurled a snowball at her, hitting her shoulder. Brendon turned around, and Mikey put a finger over their mouth, silently telling her not to make a big deal about it. 

 

Brendon grinned, gave Mikey a thumbs up, and then started counting down while walking away from where they were hidden in the top of the tree. 

 

Mikey grinned, and shivered. It was cold up here, in the trees, where the wind was stronger and they didn’t have any cover from it. They weren’t going to be up here forever, though, because each round was only fifteen minutes long, and Mikey was pretty sure that they’d made it through the first five already. No one, other than Brendon, had noticed them up here, but they were aware of most everyone else in the game. 

 

It was pretty awesome. Mikey was going to figure out a way that this could be added into the Killjoy comic. 

 

Only a few moments later, Ryan came running under Mikey’s tree. They glanced over their shoulder as they ran, their scarf billowing behind them. Jon was about fifteen feet behind them, grinning and brandishing a snowball of his own. There was nothing Mikey could do from up here, unless they wanted to get hit by Jon, too. 

 

Jon hit Ryan when they were directly under Mikey’s tree, and Ryan skidded to a halt in defeat. They turned around and stared Jon down. Jon grabbed another handful of snow and started turning it into an orb. “Start counting, Ry.”

 

“You’re the worst,” they said. 

 

Jon smiled, ducking his head a little. Mikey felt like they were intruding on something really personal, so they looked up at the sky. They couldn’t block out what Jon and Ryan were saying, but they could at least act like they weren’t accidentally creeping on the pair. 

 

“Am I really, though?” Jon asked, quietly. Mikey didn’t know enough about him to know if he was really worried that Ryan disliked him or not. Mikey didn’t know enough about Ryan to know their feelings on Jon, for that matter. 

 

Ryan sighed. “No. No you’re not.”

 

“You know,” Jon said. “The sooner you start counting, the sooner you become free again.”

 

“Yeah, just a moment,” Ryan said. Mikey kept looking up at the sky, squinting a little because the sun was reflecting off of the clouds and it was starting to get bright again. They waited until they thought they heard Ryan’s footsteps heading off again to look back down, but when they did, Ryan and Jon were both still there. They were a few feet to Mikey’s left now, and Jon was holding Ryan’s face, kissing him tenderly. 

 

Mikey immediately looked back up at the sky. Well. That cleared some stuff up. They wondered if Ryan had told Spencer, or if they were keeping that information to themself for the moment. Mikey wouldn’t blame them if they were; Jon was a freshman in college, and Ryan was seventeen. It wasn’t a huge age difference, but Mikey figured Spencer would freak out about it. 

 

A snowball hit Mikey’s thigh. Mikey grabbed onto the center of the tree and looked down to see Jon staring up at them with his hands on his hips. He was squinting a little in the sun, but he raised an ungloved hand and waved at Mikey. “Hey. You can start counting once you get down. Nice hiding spot, by the way.”

 

Mikey smiled to themself. It didn’t matter what Spencer did or did not know. Jon seemed like a cool guy regardless.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	81. Twister is Trans Culture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, we're back! Also, I'm currently writing the chapter where Melanie officially Gets The Fuck Out and holy shit I have outdone myself. It's gonna be fucking wild. And Melanie's character will also be burned beyond recognition, so yay to that too!
> 
> This chapter has absolutely no suffering, though. Just some gays and a twister board. And failed(ish) baking attempts.

Somehow, they all fit themselves into Laura’s apartment. Luckily, her two roommates were out, so Laura didn’t have to explain why she was playing host to a bunch of teenagers and a Jon. Jon, it turned out, made a mean apple cider, and wasn’t half bad at hot chocolate, either. 

 

“I used to work at a Starbucks in high school,” Jon said, shrugging. “In between that, the school newspaper, and skipping Friday classes to drive up and see bands in Indianapolis or Chicago, I somehow managed to graduate a year early.”

 

“Seriously?” Josh asked, his eyes wide. “That’s amazing.”

 

“Yeah,” Jon said. “I’m still recovering from all the stress and sleep deprivation. I don’t recommend it.”

 

“Unless you have a really sympathetic weed man who’ll give you fifty percent off when you break down crying from exam stress,” Laura called out from the other side of the kitchen counter. She and Spencer were attempting to bake. Mikey wasn’t sure how well that was going. 

 

Tyler frowned. “You know, you shouldn’t be smoking. It’s really bad for you.”

 

“So’s capitalism, but here we are,” Jon said, and took a long sip from his cider. Joe leaned across Patrick, Andy, and Ryan to give Jon a high-five, which Jon accepted without question. He pushed his curly bangs away from his eyes. “I’m not telling you to go do drugs, but I mean, if you’re gonna try anything, weed’s your best bet. It’s cheapest, not addictive, and it’s pretty much just smoking but with weird food cravings.”

 

“I should switch to weed,” Frank muttered. “Maybe then my mom would stop riding my ass.”

 

“Considering you’re in high school, probably not,” Jon said. He shrugged. “Sorry dude, but it doesn’t get much better until you move out.”

 

“I mean, I can drop out when I’m sixteen and just get a job and move in with you and Laura,” Frank said. 

 

Jon glowered, looking like a disappointed dad. “Absolutely not. Get at least a high school education. The band will work around you. Right, L?”

 

“Hell fucking yeah,” Laura said. Then, “I think that was too much flour. Oh well.”

 

“I’m worried about these cookies now,” Josh muttered. He grinned and elbowed Pete. “Think weed would help?”

 

“We’re not making weed brownies, Josh. Jesus Christ,” Spencer called out from the kitchen. Laura laughed. Spencer came around the corner with a smudge of flour across the tip of his nose and a spatula in one hand. “Not in my good, gay Christian household.”

 

“Fuck you mom, I’m straight and Jewish!” Joe yelled. 

 

Spencer flipped aer off with the spatula. “No you’re not.”

 

“Yeah, I’m just Jewish,” Joe said. Ae shivered. “I couldn’t imagine being a heterosexual. Ugh, that’d be the worst.”

 

“Yeah, but imagine being ace in a world full of allosexuals,” Tyler said. Josh was nodding earnestly in agreement. Mikey was confused, and as usual, they looked over to Gee in hopes that she’d know what the hell was going on. Gee just looked like she wanted her hot chocolate to turn into a mocha espresso, or maybe Irish coffee. Mikey couldn’t tell. She just looked emotionally tired. 

 

Joe looked just as thrown off as Mikey felt. “A world full of what?”

 

“Allosexuals,” Tyler repeated. He leaned forward, a slight look of concern crossing his face. “You mean, you guys are in a gay straight alliance and you haven’t talked about allosexual or monosexual privilege?”

 

“No?” Joe asked, aer voice going up about an octave in pitch as they looked over at Raya. Raya made the  _ I don’t know _ noise. Joe looked back to Tyler. “I didn’t know that was a thing?”

 

Jon sighed. He looked even more tired than Gee. “It depends on who you ask. And, I really don’t think this is the right time or place to talk about it. We’re just a large group of mostly gay people, trying to have a fun time. Let’s not turn this into a classroom, ‘kay? Save it for the GSA.”

 

“But it’s important,” Tyler said. He almost sounded like he was whining. 

 

“I know, buddy,” Jon said. “I’m in UE’s LGBT association. I’m ace myself, I’m well aware of the ace-specific issues in the community. But I also know that not every meeting of gay people is an oppurtunity to bring up intra-community issues. Sometimes people wanna just get together, play in the snow, and then drink bomb ass cider and hot coco while their friends bake.”

 

Tyler sighed. He didn’t look satisfied with that response, but he seemed resigned to having to drop it for the moment. “Alright, fine.”

 

“So, subject change,” Jon said, sitting up a little and adjusting how he was nestled around Ryan’s legs. “What kind of bands have you guys been into lately? I’m on the university’s newspaper, on top of everything else, and I’m always down to look into new shit.”

 

“Oh!” Spencer said, nearly jumping over the kitchen counter to get Jon’s attention. “Vesperteen! I don’t know if you were at Against Me’s show a few months back, but they played with Vesperteen, and they’re a band--er, solo project thing--from Ohio and they’re really cool.”

 

Josh nearly dislocated his entire head, whipping around to face Spencer. “Holy shit you know Vesperteen I love them.”

 

“Dude, seriously?” Spencer said, breaking out into one of his signature grins. “Colin Rigsby totally made me bi.”

 

“He was my homoromantic awakening!” Josh said. He extracted himself from beside Pete and climbed over Sarah and the kitchen table to give Spencer a high five. 

 

Jon took another sip from his mug. “Whelp. Didn’t see that coming.”

 

“Are you going to their homecoming show?” Josh asked. “Also, have you ever heard House of Heroes because that was Colin’s original band and they’re soooo underrated. I love them.”

 

“When’s the homecoming show?” Spencer said, pulling out his phone. “And if we can both go, we could take my car and like, split the gas. How far is it to Columbus? Oh, like five hours. That’s fine, I can do that.”

 

“It’s in August, but before school gets back, so we could do it,” Josh said. “Oh, and I know a girl who’s like super tight with Jesse and is, like, their official makeup artist and shit, and she could totally get us into Jesse’s poetry thing the next night, if you’re into that. If you’re not, that’s cool, but I totally want to get Jesse some sick juice and impress him with my smoothie skills.”

 

“I definitely make better smoothies than you, because I actually know what to do in a kitchen, but sure,” Spencer said. He was still smiling. Mikey was pretty sure they’d never seen Spencer so excited about anything, let alone a random band from Ohio. “But yeah, totally. Let’s do this. It’ll be awesome.”

 

“Mind if I come?” Jon asked from the floor. “I’ve never seen a real Vesperteen show. I missed some of their set because Against Me! needed me to help with the merch booth that night.”

 

“Yeah, totally,” Spencer said, nodding eagerly. “Just give one of us your number, or something, and we can start figuring out the details.”

 

Spencer, Jon, and Josh huddled into a corner, and Laura recruited Ashley as Spencer’s replacement. Ashley dragged Mikey back into the little kitchen area as well, even though Mikey wasn’t really good at cooking or baking or anything that didn’t involve a microwave. They could make lasagna, but that was about it. They could also make mashed potatoes, but there were no potatoes in the kitchen, and thus, Mikey was useless.

 

“Make icing, duh,” Ashley said, and handed them a tub of icing along with some food dye bottles. “Whatever colours you want. Let’s make it as rainbow as possible.”

 

“I think I can manage that,” Mikey said. They set the dyes down and opened the icing. There were a few other tubs in the drawers above the fridge, but Mikey didn’t need those. They’d helped Lindsey and Gee dye their hair enough times to know how to mix colours. They portioned out the icing into a few different bowls, and then started adding colour. It turned out that they didn’t need a lot, and so the green icing was blaringly green while the blue, purple, and yellow were all okay shades. 

 

“Shit, I need green,” Mikey said, and squeezed two drops of yellow and a drop of blue into a fifth bowl. “Do you think we need orange too, or…?”

 

“How the hell do you not have red?” Ashley asked, peeking over Mikey’s shoulder.

 

“We don’t need red, I have sprinkles for that,” Laura said. Sure enough, there was cake decorating gel (black, red, and green) and sprinkles (green, red, silver, and rainbow) up in the same cabinet. Mikey didn’t realise that Laura was that into baking, but it was still cool. They hadn’t made and decorated cookies in years. Hell, the last time they did it, Gee was in fourth grade and she and Mikey were trying to make spooky ghost cookies for Gee’s fourth grade costume party. 

 

“Fun fact, gays love baking,” Laura said. “As do stoners, and those are the two groups of people I hang out with the most.”

 

“I’m both!” Jon called out from the other side of the apartment. 

 

As the cookies came out of the oven and started cooling off, Ashley and Mikey started taking them and the icings over to the little kitchen table that had been pushed away from the living area to make room for everyone. Naturally, half of Mikey’s friends leapt up and tried to jump over each other to get to the table first, because it turned out that Laura was right and gays really did like baking and decorating cookies. 

 

Frank’s ended up being Mikey’s favourite, mostly because of how bad it turned out. Frank had attempted to make a zombie Santa, but his cookie looked more like someone had vomited all over Santa’s face while trying to tell him what they wanted for Christmas. 

 

Naturally, Joe and Lindsey both made witches, abusing the shit out of the black icing gel and getting it all over their hands and the table. Their witches weren’t half bad, though, and Joe even gave aer witch bright red lips, to make it look more like Lindsey. 

 

“Shit, I just made a generic witch,” Lindsey said as it bit into it’s cookie. “Now I feel like a bad friend.”

 

“Nah, you’re fine,” Joe said. “I’m not even a witch to begin with, although, a lot of witches are based on shitty, anti-semitic stereotypes. So I guess I am a witch. Kind of.”

 

“You’re cooler than that. Fuck anti-semitic people,” Lindsey said. It and Joe fist-bumped each other. Mikey grabbed their own cookie, which was a subpar rendition of Kobra Kid’s symbol done in red gel icing, and joined Brendon and Dallon back on the floor. Brendon lifted her legs up and let Mikey dropped down on the center of the couch, and then she settled her legs back down on top of Mikey. 

 

Mikey cupped their hand under their cookie while they ate, so that they didn’t drop any crumbs down on Brendon’s pants. Dallon reached behind her and grabbed their cup of cider, sipping from it slowly. Mikey wished that they’d brought their mug over with them. It was sitting there, alone, sad and abandoned, on a side table. “Hey, can someone who isn’t covered in drama kid get my drink?”

 

“You chose this for yourself,” Brendon said. She crossed her legs at her ankles and chomped down on her cookie, talking behind her hand. “You could have stayed over there on the floor, but no, you wanted to come be a cool kid on the couch.”

 

“I don’t think you or I qualify as cool, B,” Dallon said. 

 

Brendon twisted around, accidentally digging her heel into Mikey’s thigh, and kissed Dallon on the cheek. “That’s where you’re wrong. We’re the coolest.”

 

“You know, when I first met you two and Spencer, I thought you guys were gonna be like the plastics,” Ashley said. She was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, dipping her cookie into her hot chocolate like a heathen. “Theatre class versions of them, obviously, but you three seemed like you knew everything about everyone, and it was kind of intimidating.”

 

“Who did you think was who?” Dallon asked. 

 

“Well, Brendon was Regina, because I thought she was the leader, and then I thought Spencer was the Gretchen because he always dressed really nice and he had really nice hair before he cut it short, and then I figured you were Karen because you were kind of a spacy pretty boy,” Ashley said. She bit her lip. “Er, not boy. And Mikey’s Cady, because duh.”

 

“Seems legit,” Brendon said, nodding. “I’ll allow it. Hey, Spencer, you’re Gretchen Weiners!”

 

“What the fuck?” Spencer called back. Brendon just blew him a kiss without any further explanation. 

 

Mikey could see where Ashley was coming from. Of course, they knew Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer pretty well now, and knew that none of them were mean. Brendon was shady, but she wasn’t needlessly shady, and as far as Mikey knew, she wasn’t hiding a burn book somewhere in her room. Then again, Mikey had never even been to Brendon’s house. Mikey frowned and turned to look at Brendon. “You don’t have a burn book, do you?”

 

“Oh my God,” Brendon said, laughing. “No, Mikey, I don’t have a book where I write about how much I secretly hate everyone. I’m not actually Regina George.”

 

“It’d be a good Halloween costume idea,” Dallon said. “Next year, the three of us could go of the plastics. It’s not like there are any couple’s costumes out there that work for three people who are dating each other.”

 

“Brilliant,” Brendon said. She twisted around again to kiss Dallon, once again pressing her heel down into Mikey’s thigh. “Thanks for the idea, Ash.”

 

“Anytime,” Ashley said, and gave them a little salute. 

 

There were too many of them to really play a game, but they tried anyway. One of Laura’s roommates had a twister game, and so she and Jon cleared a bit of the floor so that they could set out the mat. Brendon, Josh, Ray, and Travie were the first four to go, and the rule was that as soon as someone dropped out, they tagged someone to go in for them. 

 

There wasn’t a winner, since everyone was falling and jumping back in at random. It was still fun, though. Brendon lasted for a long time, as did Dallon, whereas Gee made it about five seconds before her hand caught on the sleeve of her hoodie and she flopped down on the mat. 

 

Gee tagged Lindsey, who gleefully got on the mat with Laura, Patrick, and Pete. It didn’t take long before Lindsey was in an upside down pretzel under Pete’s legs, looking bored. Pete dropped their head down to look at it. “Dude. How are you not screaming in pain right now?”

 

“I’m double jointed and I did gymnastics at the YMCA when I was a kid,” Lindsey said. Laura fell a few rounds after that, and Gabe replaced her on the mat. Gabe started pretending to twerk over Pete and Lindsey, and when it was Lindsey’s turn to move, it lifted it’s right leg and lightly kicked Gabe’s calf. “You fucking weirdo.”

 

“This is abuse,” Gabe said. They looked up at Ashley, who was in charge of the spinner. “Ashley, Lindsey was trying to kill me.”

 

“That’s not illegal,” Ashley said, and spun. “Patrick. Right hand yellow.”

 

“Murder is always illegal!” Gabe yelled. His foot was sliding a little, towards one of Pete’s feet. 

 

“Not in cases of self-defense,” Ashley said. She exchanged a high five with Lindsey, somehow. Mikey was pretty sure Lindsey was using witchcraft at this point, because it was in a full backbend and one foot was on one end of the board while the other was on the opposite side. Ashley raised her eyebrows in amazement, as though she’d just realised how impressive Lindsey’s pose was. “Wow, you’re basically in a split.”

 

“Like I said, double jointed and gymnastics. It does a body good,” Lindsey said. It shook it’s head, trying to get hair out of it’s face. “Now spin, please. I don’t want Pete to fall on me and kill me.”

 

“I’m too small for that,” Pete wheezed out. They didn’t look too comfortable. 

 

“You’d be surprised,” Lindsey said. It sounded vaguely like a threat, but Mikey wasn’t going to question it. They didn’t want to get dragged into the board, not with the way everyone was splayed out right now. 

 

Unfortunately, Patrick fell on her next turn, because the only red spot left was the one on the far side of everyone else on the board, and Patrick’s arms were too short to reach over there. She stepped off of the board with grace, and walked up to Mikey, tapping them on the nose. “Your turn, Mikeyway.”

 

“Fuck,” Mikey said. They took their socks off, to give them a chance of traction, and pulled their beanie down further over their head. They turned to look at Ashley. “Alright, spin me in.”

 

Ashley spun. “Right hand green.”

 

Mikey cringed. The safest place to put their hand would make it so that their head was right next to Gabe’s crotch and Pete’s face. Mikey took a deep breath, and put their hand down anyway. It was fine. They didn’t have feelings for Pete any more, and it wasn’t like they’d never been face to face with Gabe’s dick before. The only difference was that it was two years later, they were fully clothed, and all of their friends were watching. 

 

Gabe laughed. “Oh my God, you two look so fucking awkward.”

 

“Shut up, Gabe,” Pete said, their face going red. “I don’t wanna suck your dick.”

 

“Really? Because your positioning says otherwise,” Gabe said, still laughing. 

 

Mikey narrowed their eyes and looked up at Gabe through their bangs. “Listen. I know you’re my boyfriend, but I  _ will  _ bite your dick off if I have too.”

 

“Ooh, burn,” Lindsey said. “Nice one, Mikey.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikey said. Pete was grinning at them, and finally, things seemed to be okay again. They were back to where they could all laugh at each other, and make awkward jokes about shit. Mikey had missed that about their friend group. It was so much better this way, when they were all like a big, weird, gay family, instead of constantly starting drama at each other and getting at each other’s throats. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed, and feel free to come say hi to me on tumblr @rochellerosswalker


	82. vesperstans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, fuckos. This one's short, but I'm (hopefully) updating Ghost Towns and the Harvest Children tonight as well, so hey. It's a Christmas miracle, or whatever.

- **spooncer** changed the name of the group to  **vesperstans** -

 

**djspookyjim** : hard same my dude

**spooncer** : do you think we could start a colin rigsby fan club at school or would that be weird

**vampiregee** : u could probably get away with it if we lived in columbus but we Do Not so idk if anyone would know who colin rigsby is

**djspookyjim** : we can change that

**djspookyjim** : i mean if i can get frank to watch the get down then i can get people to listen to vesperteen

**spooncer** : i still haven’t watched that

**spooncer** : i actually have nextflix but i legit only use it to watch stranger things and brooklyn 99

**djspookyjim** : sick

**djspookyjim** : brooklyn 99 is a good show

**spooncer** : i know right

**vampiregee** : ok but have u guys watched how to get away with murder yet bc that is AWESOME and i would die for laurel

**mijey** : laurel sucks

**vampiregee** : i will remove you from our netflix account

**mijey** : wasn’t ur tumblr url lesbianlaurelcastillo at one point

**vampiregee** : yea

**vampiregee** : i should go back to that it was a good url

**djspookyjim** : i tried watching it but there were too many sex scenes and sex is just… gross to me

**djspookyjim** : idk maybe it’s an ace thing

**spooncer** : sex scenes in tv/movies are always weird

**spooncer** : it’s like softcore porn but ur watching it with ur mom

**momfriend** : i can’t believe i checked my phone for this

**momfriend** : also @ mikey and gee can i come over my mom apparently decided that she wanted to play host to my brother and his obnoxious senior friends

**zoid** : binch i am a senior

**momfriend** : but ur not a straight dude

**zoid** : that is true

**vampiregee** : if u can get here then yes we will prepare the horror movies

**momfriend** : fuck yeah

 

Warrick county schools were still closed, because it hadn’t gotten above freezing, and the roads were still icy and dangerous. Mikey didn’t mind, because they and gee had the heater on full blast in the basement, and they’d been curled up under a bunch of blankets, watching the Get Down, for the past three hours. 

 

Josh was right. It was a good fucking show. 

 

Raya arrived about twenty minutes later, and Gee switched over to the horror section of Netflix. She changed the sorting so that the lowest rated ones would show up first, and then the started going through the line. There was something therapeutic about watching bad horror movies in the middle of the day with friends. 

 

“Do you think we can order pizza?” Raya asked around three. 

 

“No, but there’s a frozen pizza upstairs and we can probably convince mom to let us have it,” Gee said. “At the end of this movie, though. I’m way too invested.”

 

“Gee, it’s probably the worst horror movie we’ve seen, ever,” Mikey said. They kicked Gee under the blanket. “Go make the pizza.”

 

“Why don’t you, since you hate it so much?” Gee said in response. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes and got out from under the blankets. They grabbed a spare one from the other bed and then headed upstairs. Their mom was perfectly fine with them heating up a pizza, so long as they were careful and didn’t mess up the blankets. Mikey’s mom was really anal retentive about getting food on fabrics. 

 

Mikey decided to hang out in the kitchen while the pizza cooked, since they really hadn’t cared about the horror movie Gee and Raya were watching downstairs. They had a science project due whenever they had to go back to school, but they weren’t too worried about it because their teacher never remembered to take up projects, anyway. They dropped don into a seat at the kitchen table and propped their feet up in a different chair. 

 

**mijey** : gee and raya think i’m missing out on movie time bc i’m getting the pizza but jokes on them i’m gonna get first pick of the toppings

**hetty_mcgee** : wait which toppings are you gonna take ur answers determine the future of our friendship

**mijey** : olives obviously

**hetty_mcgee** : i can’t believe i trusted you

**hetty_mcgee** : olives are gross

**mijey** : they’re good brendon

**dadeth** : Sorry, B, I have to agree with Mikey on this one

**hetty_mcgee** : traitor

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : you forgot the lightsaber noise

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : also ur right brendon olives are gross mikey and dallon can have all of my olives

**hetty_mcgee** : start an olive fuckers group

 

- **dadeth** changed the name of the group to  **olive fuckers** -

 

**hetty_mcgee** : NO

**hetty_mcgee** : BAD

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : thanks!! i hate it

**mijey** : dallon dont change it us olive fuckers are gonna take over the world one day

**mijey** : sukkaaaas

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : dollar in the fucking jar, micheal

**mijey** : what? no 

**dadeth** : Unfortunately, I have to agree with the olive hater

**mijey** : binch.

**mijey** : fine, i’ll give you the jar + a dollar next time we’re in school. or if we meet up again sometime before then

**mijey** : i hate you

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : hahahah

**momfriend** : mikey are you really staying up there until the pizzas ready

**mijey** : duh

**mijey** : how else do i get the olives

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : dedication

 

The oven finally dinged, and Mikey grabbed the oven mitts before pulling the pizza out and letting it cool. They sent a picture of it to the group chat, and once the pizza had cooled for the allotted time, they grabbed most of the olives and piled them up on a third of the pizza. Mikey ran over to the basement stairs and leaned over the door frame. “Gee! Ray! Come get your pizza!”

 

“The movie’s still going!” Gee shouted back. 

 

“Do you want pizza or not?!” Mikey yelled at their sister. 

 

“Mikey, don’t yell,” their mom said from the living room. “Your dad’s upstairs and taking a nap.”

 

“Sorry mom,” Mikey said. They went back to the pizza and grabbed their own two slices, as well as a can of RedBull before heading back to the stairwell. They popped open the can of RedBull with their teeth, and drank from it. “Guys, seriously. I’m gonna steal all your olives.”

 

“I thought you already did that,” Raya shouted up the stairs, but she sounded closer than before. Sure enough, she and Gee appeared at the bottom of the stairs and made their way up. Once the two girls were out of the way, Mikey went back down to the basement and settled themself back in under that blankets. They pulled up  _ Carrie _ , even though it wasn’t a horrible movie. They were in a Stephen King mood, for whatever reason. 

 

“Hey, you can’t pick  _ Carrie _ ,” Gee said. “That’s a classic.”

 

“Was King on cocaine when he wrote this one, or am I too early?” Raya said. She set her food and can of RedBull down on the floor before getting back into the mess of blankets. 

 

“You’re early,” Mikey said. “I think the cocaine happened more in the 80’s, and  _ Carrie  _ came out in like, 1972. I think.”

 

“Let me google it,” Gee said. She grabbed her phone. “According to Wikipedia,  _ Carrie _ was his first published novel, released on April 5, 1974. So, no, there wasn’t any cocaine involved. This was all King being a fucking weirdo, as usual.”

 

“Like you have room to talk,” Raya said. “Remember the vampire zombies from seventh grade? What the fuck even was that?”

 

“Uh, me being an angsty seventh grader who thought that Bert and all of his stoner friends were horrible people and were turning him into a zombie of a person,” Gee said. She rolled her eyes. “And I was a fucking  _ Twilight _ fan, too, which is why I was even into vampires in the first place, which is so stupid, because  _ Twilight _ sucks and the only vampires that glitter are the gay ones.”

 

“So, you?” Mikey asked. Gee smacked them. Mikey laughed. “Gee’s a glitter bomb vampire.”

 

“I hate you and your weird Stephen King kink,” Gee said.

 

Mikey stuck their tongue out. “Ew, no. The guy’s a good horror writer, but I don’t want to fuck him. Any version of him, even the one in the 80’s who was on, like, twelve cocaine.”

 

“Twelve cocaine?” Raya asked, snorting. 

 

“Twelve whole cocaine,” Gee said, giggling into her coffee. 

 

Mikey flipped them both off. “Fuck you. It’s not like I know how cocaine works anyway. And you’re interrupting the movie. Pay attention, assholes.”

 

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Gee said, but she settled in between Raya and Mikey and watched  _ Carrie _ anyway. For a movie made in the 70’s, it wasn’t horrible. A bit weird and outdated, maybe, but it wasn’t a super bad horror movie. Gee was right; it was a classic, and Mikey loved classic horror. It was so cool, and a little cheesy because of all the shitty CGI. Mikey wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

 

Raya went back home after they finished  _ Carrie _ , because her mom was worried about her going anywhere in the dark. The roads weren’t horrible, but they weren’t super safe, and Raya’s mom was worried that her daughter wouldn’t see a patch of ice in the dark and would spin out and hit a pole or something. 

 

Mikey, who had ridden with Raya quite a few times in the past, wasn’t as worried. Raya was probably the safest driver Mikey knew. Although, if her mom was that worried, maybe she got it from her mom, and Raya’s mom was the slowest, safest driver Indiana had ever seen. 

 

“See you tomorrow?” Raya asked as she zipped up her winter coat. “Assuming there’s school.”

 

“Even if there isn’t school,” Gee said, “you should come back over and hang out with us anyway. Mikey ruined the horrible movie marathon by playing a good movie anyway. We still have a lot to go through.”

 

Raya grinned and ruffled Mikey’s hair. “Hell yeah we do. See you guys later, then, whenever later ends up being.”

 

“See ya, Raya,” Mikey said, and gave her the peace sign. Raya opened the door to the outside, and Mikey shivered from the sudden drop in temperature. Their teeth chattered. “I wish I had more of Laura’s cider. That was fucking amazing.”

 

“I feel you,” Gee said. “Maybe we can convince mom to let us have hot cocoa.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it, and feel free to say hi to me on tumblr @throamspallon! (Yes, i changed my url again. It happens)


	83. olive fuckers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's, everyone! I'm still hoping that Linda and/or Spencer will post something and make 2018 the best year ever. If that doesn't happen, I'll just look at the pictures I have of them saved on my phone and cry!

Unfortunately, school was back in session the next day. Gee was back to driving, thankfully, and so she made sure that she and Mikey got there early enough that she could get her makeup done in the drama hall bathroom while Mikey bullshitted through their project. It was a brilliant plan, especially now that they knew about the drama hall bathroom, and wouldn’t have to hide out in the cold, shivering half to death. 

 

Mikey ended up on the floor, even though Gee was giving them dirty looks for it. It wasn’t the grossest place Mikey had been. Probably. Besides, they were more concerned with getting this project done than whether or not they’d get a staph infection from sitting on the bathroom floor. 

 

Mikey heard someone giggling, and their head shot up as their heart raced. Gee was standing at the bathroom sink, halfway done with her foundation, and she had the little brush thing just an inch from her face as she looked at Mikey through the mirror with fear on her face. 

 

“Oh, hey, what are you guys doing here?” Spencer asked. He and Dallon were practically wrapped around each other, standing near the entrance. 

 

“Homework?” Mikey asked, slowly. “What are you guys doing in the girls bathroom?”

 

“Cleaner than the guys,” Dallon said, shrugging. “Also less likely to get beat up for making out in one of the stalls.”

 

“Oh,” Gee said, still looking at Mikey through the mirror. “Should we, uh… should we go somewhere else then?”

 

“Nah, we can wait until later,” Spencer said, and dropped down a few feet away from Mikey. He stretched his legs out and pulled a book out of his backpack, like it was perfectly normal for him to be hanging out with his friends in a girl’s bathroom. Of course, Spencer had two sisters, and even though Mikey knew he had a dad and his parents weren’t divorced, Mikey had never actually met the man. Maybe Spencer was just used to being in girls’ spaces, and he didn’t find it weird anymore. 

 

Mikey went back to their assignment. Gee and Dallon were talking about the latest Grant Morrison comic, which Mikey didn’t follow. They knew Grant Morrison was because Gee had a huge artist’s crush on him, but they weren’t as obsessed with comics the way Gee was. Gee was super loyal to various writers, whereas Mikey cared more about the plot. Yes, they had favourites (Matt Fraction’s  _ Hawkeye _ comics, for example), but they didn’t read things just because a certain writer or artist had done it. 

 

Mikey chewed on the end of their pencil. “Were you guys waiting on Brendon?”

 

“Hm?” Spencer asked, looking up from his book. “Oh, uh, not really. She should be here soon, if you were looking for her.”

 

“No, it’s just… you guys are a trio,” Mikey said. “And she hangs out here a lot.”

 

“Do you think I could get away with smoking in here?” Gee asked suddenly. Dallon had taken one of her eyeliner pencils and was working on their own face. She turned around and leaned against the sink. “I mean, since no one really comes by here. It’s not like I’d get caught, and it’d definitely be warmer than sneaking outside.”

 

“Or you could just not smoke,” Dallon suggested. 

 

Gee rolled her eyes. “If only. Look, I promise not to breathe smoke in your face if I do it.”

 

“I don’t really care, one way or another, but I mean, there are definitely better places than a school bathroom to smoke in,” Dallon said. They reached up and rubbed at their eyelid a little, smudging the eyeliner. “I think there’s a way to get up on the roof, but I don’t know. Frank would probably know where to go.”

 

“I don’t trust Frank’s smoking spots,” Gee said. “Too many stoners.”

 

“Gee, we’re friends with a bunch of stoners,” Mikey said. 

 

Gee shrugged and pulled out her pack of cigarettes from her backpack. “Good point. I’ll be in the back stall if anyone needs me.”

 

She walked to the back, her boots loud against the cheap tile floor. Mikey was almost done with their project, and it was perfect timing, because they only had ten minutes before the first bell rang and people started flooding the halls. Spencer and Dallon stayed quiet for the most part; both of them were absorbed in their own activities and weren’t really focused on anything else. 

 

The first bell rang, and Gee came out of the back stall. She headed off to her first class, followed by Spencer. Dallon promised to get Gee’s makeup back to her, probably through Mikey, and then went back to what they were doing. Mikey pulled their knees up, sliding down the wall a little, and bit their thumbnail. They just had the conclusion paragraph, which would be a lot easier to do if they knew what they were concluding. They weren’t really sure what their essay was about, other than the general topic, and they didn’t want to give themself away by having a shitty conclusion paragraph. 

 

“How do you make a good conclusion paragraph?” Mikey wondered out loud.

 

Dallon packed up Gee’s makeup and joined Mikey on the floor. They leaned over Mikey’s shoulder to get a better look at their paper. “Well, what’s your intro? Because usually, a conclusion is just the intro paragraph done over again, but with a more wistful tone. Like, at the end of a movie or a novel where the narrator says some fake deep bullshit that lets the audience leave feeling like they actually experienced something instead of the same Hollywood crap that comes out every month.”

 

Mikey raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like Hollywood?”

 

“It’s overrated,” Dallon said. They looked really good in messy eyeliner. It made their eyes more blue than usual. “Broadway is too, unfortunately, even though theatre generally does a better job with representation than movies. Theatre and Broadway are just full of elitist snobs who don’t understand how art works.”

 

“Don’t tell Brendon that,” Mikey said, smiling. 

 

“She already knows,” Dallon said. “And she gets it. It’s not the actors’ faults, though, at least not in Broadway. They have to get paid somehow, and it’s not like people take acting seriously anyway.”

 

“Unless it’s Hollywood,” Mikey said. 

 

Dallon sighed and nodded. “Unless it’s Hollywood. Which is full of gross old men who need to hurry up and die.”

 

They smiled down at Mikey. “Anyway. Your conclusion paragraph. What’s your intro look like? We can start there, and bullshit something out of it.”

 

Sure enough, that was what the two of them ended up doing, and it worked. Mikey still didn’t know what the point of their essay was, but Dallon was a great writer, and they knew how to help Mikey without making it look like someone else wrote the last part of their essay for them. Mikey finished everything with two minutes to spare, and then they and Dallon both had to run to class so that they wouldn’t be late. 

 

Frank was already there when Mikey arrived, wrapped up in about seven layers of hoodies and denim jackets. He kicked his feet up on his desk. “Dude, where were you? Ashley and I thought you died.”

 

“Ashley was here?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Yeah,” Frank said. “Apparently she doesn’t have any friends in her first period, so now she’s hanging out in Mr. Armstrong’s room until school starts.”

 

“That sucks,” Mikey said. They sat down in their seat and pulled out their history notes. “And I was finishing up an essay with Dallon. They’re really good at writing, did you know that?”

 

“No,” Frank said. “I don’t really pay attention to which of our friends know how to do basic tasks, Mikeyway.”

 

“Fuck off, you know what I mean,” Mikey said. They flipped Frank off, because Mr. Armstrong wasn’t looking in their direction, and even if he was, he wouldn’t care. Mr. Armstrong was a cool teacher. Mikey wasn’t looking forward to next year, when they wouldn’t have Mr. Armstrong as their first period teacher. He made mornings easier. 

 

Mikey stretched their hand out, because it was sore from all of their last minute writing. Writing was painful. Mikey didn’t know if people were aware of this, but writing hurt sometimes. They couldn’t believe something that could be so fun could cause someone so much pain. It wasn’t fair. Writing shouldn’t have been as painful as it was. Mikey just wanted to put ideas down on paper in peace. They didn’t ask for a fucking hand cramp. 

 

“What are you doing?” Frank whispered while the morning announcements were going on in the background. No one actually paid attention to the announcements, except for the days when they had a test, and then everyone begged Mr. Armstrong to keep the announcements running for as long as possible, in hopes that they’d go through the entire first period. 

 

Mr. Armstrong never let that happen. He knew how unreliable the high school news crew could be. 

 

“Wringing out my hand,” Mikey said. “I basically wrote an entire essay in thirty minutes. It hurts like a mother fucker.”

 

“That’s impressive,” Frank said, and turned back around in his seat. He had his phone out, and was blatantly playing Fruit Ninja instead of watching the announcements. Mikey was more interested in their history textbook, because history was interesting, unlike the announcements, and history was going to be more important in Mikey’s life than the announcements. Nothing important ever happened on the announcements. 

 

“I wonder what it’s like to be popular enough that you can make shitty rap videos about the cafeteria food and get it shown on the announcements,” Frank murmured. 

 

“I don’t know,” Mikey said. “All I know is that I’ll never be like those guys. They’re the epitome of straight dude culture.”

 

“I hate that you’re right,” Frank said. “Now I have to fight them.”

 

Finally, Mr. Armstrong shut off the announcements and started class. Mikey took notes, occasionally kicking Frank in the ankle because he was still playing Fruit Ninja and not paying attention. Mikey had no obligation to share their notes with Frank. They could just stop, and say they were turning over a new moral leaf, and Frank would just have to suffer. 

 

Mikey wouldn’t do that, though. They weren’t that cruel. 

 

Gym class, as usual, was horrible. It was a running day, thankfully, and Coach G jokingly said they were going outside before leading everyone upstairs to the track. Mikey breathed a sigh of relief. They liked the cold, but they didn’t want to go running in the snow when they were wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It didn’t seem like a good plan. 

 

Brendon still hadn’t shown up, but Mikey figured she’d gotten a cold from the snow and was at home, fighting it off. Spencer wasn’t too worried, so Mikey didn’t let Brendon’s absence get to them. They ran with Joe, Pete, and Spencer, with Pete running circles around the other three. Joe attempted to trip them, but Pete just spun around like a ballerina and kept going. 

 

They dabbed while running backwards. “Can’t catch me, Joe thoughts.”

 

Spencer rolled his eyes. “Dollar in the fucking jar.”

 

“Oh, hey, speaking of the sin jar,” Joe said, nudging Mikey and accidentally elbowing them in the boob. “Sorry. But you need to get me the sin jar. Like, soon. Since it’s mine now and everything.”

 

“It’s at my house,” Mikey said. “You can probably come by and get it today after school. My mom should be okay with that.”

 

“If she’s not I can just crawl through your window,” Joe said, and grinned. 

 

Mikey shook their head. “Please don’t climb through the window. I don’t want to have to explain that to Gee if she sees you.”

 

“Would Gee even care?” Pete asked. “One time I told her I was gonna come seduce her with a saxophone outside you guys’ room and she just sent me a playlist of songs to learn if I was being serious about it.”

 

“That’s Gee,” Mikey said. “She’s weird like that.”

 

“Yeah, but she’s still pretty cool,” Spencer said. Coach G blew her whistle, which meant it was time to start trying again, and Mikey let out a deep sigh before picking up their pace. They tried to keep up with Joe and Pete, but it was hard. Mikey wasn’t unathletic, but they didn’t play sports and they definitely weren’t a runner. 

 

Luckily, Spencer wasn’t super athletic either, and so the two of them could just follow Joe and Pete around the track for the five minutes of running time. It worked, and then when Coach G blew her whistle again, the four of them returned back to their little cluster to talk. 

 

When the period was over, Mikey split from their friends to go change into their normal clothes in the girl’s locker room. It still felt weird to be in here when Joe and Pete, who were also non-binary, were in the other locker room. Mikey wished that there was an easy way to make bathrooms and locker rooms all gender neutral, because not everyone was simply a girl or a guy, and all this gender nonsense was annoying. 

 

**zoid** : concept: straight girls with shoulder length blonde hair and hipster glasses get their hands cut off so they can’t make shitty art and call themselves art hoes

**hurleyxvx** : someone’s bitter

**zoid** : im gonna physically fight this girl

**zoid** : her art is like… the most basic instagram shit ever

**zoid** : just slap a filter on it and call it a hashtag

**hurleyxvx** : if you’re gonna fight her, make sure it’s off school grounds

**hurleyxvx** : unrelated but pete… why is there a skateboard in my locker

**p_wheezie** : why and how is that my fault

**hurleyxvx** : because you’re the only other person who knows my locker code besides me

**hurleyxvx** : also it’s bright purple and has your name written on it in duct tape

**p_wheezie** : there wasn’t room in mine

**hurleyxvx** : can you even skateboard or are you trying to look cool

**djspookyjim** : pete and i are going to the indoor skate park after school

**djspookyjim** : like as a date

**hurleyxvx** : oh hey nice

**hurleyxvx** : if u hurt pete i will hurt you

**djspookyjim** : at the skate rink or emotionally?????? bc i can’t guarantee the first but i can guarantee the second will be pain free

**hurleyxvx** : the second

**hurleyxvx** : pete’s a fucking klutz

**p_wheezie** : hey D<

 

“Watch where you’re going dude,” some guy hissed as he and Mikey rammed into each other. Mikey dropped their phone, and their glasses nearly got knocked off their face in the process. Mikey didn’t have time to mutter out a “sorry” before the guy and his friends were walking down the hall again. “Fucking freshmen, am I right?”

 

Mikey knelt down and grabbed their phone before anyone could step on it. They pushed their glasses up their nose and put their phone in their pocket before heading back off to class. At least those guys hadn’t been dicks. That would have ruined Mikey’s day, easily. 

 

They ended up being late for their class, which meant they had to go all the way across the school to get a late pass from the front office, and that took another five minutes because there was a kid in line in front of Mikey who was checking back in from her dentist’s appointment. 

 

“What can I help you with?” the secretary asked. She looked tired, like she hadn’t had enough coffee that morning and was trying to decide whether or not it was worth it to take off early and go home and nap. 

 

“I need a late pass?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Name, please,” she said, and picked up her thermos, drinking from it. So maybe she did have coffee, but maybe there wasn’t enough caffeine in it. Mikey considered suggesting she invest in espresso, but they didn’t want to assume what kind of coffee drinker she was. Maybe she didn’t like caffeine, and used the taste of coffee as a placebo. 

 

Mikey realised that the secretary was watching them with one annoyed eyebrow raised. “Oh, uh, Mikey. Michelle Way, sorry.”

 

“Guess you’re not fully back from vacation then, huh Michelle?” the secretary smiled. Mikey didn’t smile back. They didn’t see anything funny about the current situation. They just wanted to get their late slip so that they could go back to class and not have to stand up here, worried that they were taking up someone’s time or holding up the line. 

 

It didn’t matter that there was no one behind Mikey. They still felt like they were taking too long and that someone was judging them for hanging around too much in the front office. What if their teacher thought they were gone for too long and marked them absent? What if their teacher called Mikey’s parents, and told them that Mikey was skipping class? Mikey didn’t want to get in trouble for something that they hadn’t actually done. This was too stressful. Why were there even late slips in the first place? Was it too hard for teachers to mark down that a student had been late in their roll call?

 

“Alright, here you go,” the secretary said, finally. “One late slip. Have a nice day, dear.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikey said, walking half backwards out of the office. “You too.”

 

Mikey made it back to class and slid down into their seat so that no one could really see them. They were a little embarrassed, and having to come back in during the middle of the lesson just to hand their teacher a slip of paper didn’t help the situation either. They could tell that their face was red, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it at this point. The teacher wasn’t even doing anything important, just going over the same damn thing they’d been talking about before the snow days. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes and pulled out their phone. Maybe the group chat would have something interesting going on. 

 

**bihalsey** : i think the guy beside me doesn’t know what a shower is

**djspookyjim** : ew gross

**djspookyjim** : spray him with axe

**bihalsey** : pretty sure that would make things worse

**djspookyjim** : axe smells good!

**p_wheezie** : josh i know u r my boyfriend but r u sure ur not straight

**p_wheezie** : bc axe is like the ultimate straight culture

**djsookyjim** : i didn't know that was a thing

**bihalsey** : yeah me either

**bihalsey** : pete u mean to tell me that the straights have a CULTURE

**p_wheezie** : it surprised me too

**zoid** : lesbian culture is tattooing plaid onto your arms so that no matter what, you’re always wearing the Gay Design

**djspookyjim** : ace culture is aliens

**djspookyjim** : bc aliens don’t give a heck about sex they just wanna explore shit

**zoid** : i can’t believe u used heck and shit in the same sentence

**djspookyjim** : i’m a very complex man

**zoid** : sounds fake but ok

**bihalsey** : wait lindsey i don’t mean this in a dicky way but are u one of those man hating lesbians

**zoid** : i don’t hate men but life would be a lot easier without them

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : big ass mood

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : speaking of men being the worst… tell me why the hell i got called to the principals office

**zoid** : uh weed?

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i mean pete’s here too so maybe

**djspookyjim** : wait ur both there and neither of u know why?

**p_wheezie** : its bc im half black

**bihalsey** : if it really is…. concept... kill them

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : conspiracy theory: the entire school administrative system is racist and anti semitic and anyone who figures this out is Erased

**zoid** : ominous

**djspookyjim** : ...what if they put me in the gifted program because i’m part japanese

**zoid** : the plot thickens

**bihalsey** : i doubt it

**bihalsey** : ur smart enough on your own, dickass

**djspookyjim** : dickass???

**bihalsey** : thats ur name now

**bihalsey** : joshua dickass dun

**djspookyjim** : ...no

**bihalsey** : u suck

**hurleyxvx** : can someone come to the upstairs c hall and drop kick my teacher out of the window i swear to FUCK

**bihalsey** : hi andy

**bihalsey** : how are you 

**hurleyxvx** : PISSED

**hurleyxvx** : this fucker… this government endorsed fucker who’s probably in a fucking union and would defo have a way better life with fucking socialism 

**hurleyxvx** : is saying that ronald FUCKIGN reagan

**hurleyxvx** : was a good and effective president

**zoid** : dear google how much jail time for murder

**hurleyxvx** : too much

**hurleyxvx** : manslaughter tho…

**mijey** : i’ve been lurking but uhhh dont actually murder ur teacher

**hurleyxvx** : buzzkill

**mijey** : this chat would be used as evidence and do u really want some lawyer man reading off the chats we’ve sent

**hurleyxvx** : u have a point

**zoid** : jokes on you i have no shame

**zoid** : me, walking into andy’s class: THIS BITCH EMPTY. YEET

**mijey** : ..dollar n the jar

**zoid** : valid

**djspookyjim** : hey is anyone else worried that joe and pete haven’t said anything recently

**hurleyxvx** : capitalists got em

**djspookyjim** : h*ck

**zoid** : your swearing patterns never cease to amuse me

 

Mikey glanced up in time to see their teacher coming over towards them, and quickly put their phone down. They picked up their pencil and acted like they were taking notes, and somehow fooled their teacher because he went back to rambling on about whatever the class was still going over.  

 

Mikey wished that they were smart enough to not need school, because school sucked. They were either bored or too tired to really learn, and they didn't even get to choose what classes they took. The school chose for them, based on what year they were in. Mikey would have preferred to be taking multiple history classes and no math, because they didn't enjoy math, but they couldn't do that. 

 

The school also forced them to take a math class every year to graduate, but they only needed three history classes to graduate, which didn't make sense to Mikey at all. There was a lot more history than there was math, and besides, not everyone used math in real life. Mikey knew that basic math was important in adult life, but they didn't ever see themself using calculus. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!
> 
> Edit: I forgot to mention this last night when I posted but please don't worry about Pete and Joe. They were pulled in for something they didn't do and the plot was supposed to be them getting irked at the school for it. However, that's not happening because this was the last chapter I wrote before the information about Melanie Martinez came out, and I figured that making her a clear villain/writing her out was more important. Sorry for any confusion, but that's whats going on in the wonderful world of nohic


	84. "You don't feel like a third wheel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how everyone's always like "this chapter was so nice I love the bonding! But now I'm terrified of what's coming next because I don't trust you."
> 
> Yeah. 
> 
> Keep that in mind.

It was Saturday, and Mikey was sitting in the front seat of Gee’s car, biting their way through the nail on their left pointer finger. They shouldn’t have been nervous, considering all the times before that they’d gone over to Spencer’s house to hang out with him, Dallon, and Brendon, but they were. Part of it was because Mikey wasn’t sure if Spencer was still pissed at them, and part of it was because Ryan Ross was going to be there, and Mikey barely knew them. 

 

“What if I say something shitty about Ryan and then Spencer  _ actually _ hates me?” Mikey said. 

 

Gee rolled her eyes and lit a cigarette. “Then I’ll punch him.”

 

“Don’t punch Spencer,” Mikey said. “We went over this. He’s a good cis.”

 

“Yeah, well, if he’s gonna be a bitter bitch about you being just as poly as he is, then he’s gonna get punched,” Gee said, and blew smoke out. “Seriously. Who the hell gives that much of a fuck about who their friends sleep with? I’d get it if you were actually cheating on Gabe, but like, you and Gabe are open, and she was cool with it. What’s his problem?”

 

“It’s… complicated?” Mikey said, because they didn’t really know why Spencer was so caught up on that, but they knew he was right. Mikey shouldn’t have slept with Pete that night, and even though Pete had moved on, that didn’t mean that Spencer had to move on as well. Spencer was allowed to be pissed, even if Mikey didn’t quite get it.

 

Gee glanced over at Mikey through the rearview mirror. “So. Are you going in or are we just gonna sit out here until Ms. Smith comes out and asks what’s going on?”

 

“I should go in, shouldn’t I?” Mikey said, and bit their nail again. They didn’t move. 

 

Gee stared at them, this time directly, and narrowed her eyes. She leaned across Mikey after a moment and opened the passenger side door before slowly pushing them out of the car. Gee tapped her cigarette against the ashtray in the car (it was really an empty cup, but it worked). “Don’t be such a baby. Go hang out with your friends, Mikes.”

 

“Pick me up at five?” Mikey asked. 

 

Gee nodded and closed the door, before backing down Spencer’s driveway and driving off. Mikey knew it was just her giving them tough love, but they wished that Gee was going inside with them. 

 

Mikey turned around and looked at the Smiths’ front door. They took a deep breath and walked up the sidewalk before ringing the doorbell. Mikey shoved their hands into the pockets of their jacket, and breathed out, watching their breath fog up in the cold air. It was just above freezing, and there were still patches of snow hanging around. Mikey wished, for a moment, that they lived farther north so that they could have a real winter, but then they remembered that people up north had to go to school in the snow, and decided against it. Snow was fun, but only when they didn’t have to go to school in it. 

 

The door opened, revealing Mr. Smith, who Mikey had never actually seen before. He was an average looking guy, with greying hair and a really dad like beard going on. His eyes were the same colour as Spencer’s, and he was tall, too. “You’re Spence’s other friend? Mickey?”

 

“Uh, Mikey,” Mikey said. 

 

“Makes sense,” Mr. Smith said, letting Mikey inside. “I would have worried about a kid who willingly shared the same name as a Disney mouse.”

 

“Yeah, I think I’m a bit cooler than that,” Mikey said, and pushed their glasses up their nose. “Uh, where’s Spencer?”

 

“Upstairs,” Mr. Smith said. “Ryan’s already here, but we’re still waiting on Dallon and Brendon to show up before we get the snacks rolling.”

 

“Okay, thanks,” Mikey said. Mr. Smith was okay. He didn’t make Mikey feel weird, or try too hard to come off as funny and relatable, like some of their other friends’ dads did. Mikey headed up the stairs to Spencer’s room, ignoring his sisters and their friends down the hall. Apparently today was a popular day to hang out at the Smiths’ house. 

 

Mikey knocked on Spencer’s door, even though before everything happened, they’d just walk in and hope that Spencer, Dallon, and/or Brendon weren’t making out on the bed. 

 

“Come in!” Spencer called from the other side. Mikey took a deep breath again and opened the door. Nothing had changed in Spencer’s room, except that there was now a white and gold hoodie laid out over the kiddie drum set in the corner. There was also a Ryan Ross on the edge of Spencer’s bed, looking like a frightened cat, but Mikey had been expecting them, so they weren’t startled. Spencer got up and moved around Mikey to close the door behind them. “I know you’ve met Ryan before, but Ryan, this is Mikey, and Mikey, this is Ryan. You’re both idiots with bad taste in Pete Wentz, and you’re both really fucking lanky.”

 

“That’s the best introduction you could come up with?” Ryan asked, arching an eyebrow. It was the first time Mikey had ever seen them show an expression that wasn’t sadness or fear. 

 

“What? I have to roast you both somehow,” Spencer said, and launched himself back at his bed. Ryan lifted their legs so Spencer didn’t hit them. Spencer pulled himself up and hunched over. “Pete makes that easier.”

 

“Why’d you invite me over?” Mikey asked. 

 

“We’re making the rest of the GSA in Sims,” Spencer said, and wiggled his hand at his laptop, which was on the other side or Ryan. Ryan didn’t move, so Spencer rolled his eyes and leaned across Ryan to get it himself. “Figured that since you were here from the beginning, you’d want to see how everyone else came out. Also, you missed a lot of the Sims drama.”

 

Mikey frowned. “What kind of drama?”

 

“Well, Brendon found out that there was a prostitution mod, and put it on my game without asking, so now she, Pete, Joe, Patrick, and Lindsey for some reason are in what she calls a thot house,” Spencer said. He turned the laptop so that Mikey could see, and sure enough, the aforementioned Sims were all together in a house labelled “THOT HOUSE.” 

 

Mikey raised an eyebrow. “Alright. What about everyone else?”

 

“Gee and Ray got married without my permission,” Spencer said. “Dallon nearly killed everyone in a house fire, and you’re an astronaut.”

 

“I’m gonna fuck an alien,” Mikey said, grinning. 

 

“Can’t the aliens get Sims pregnant?” Ryan asked. 

 

Spencer nodded. “Mikey, you’re going to be an alien dad.”

 

“Just what I always wanted,” Mikey said, and it seemed normal for a moment. Even with Ryan Ross there, looking awkward and a little sad as usual. They watched over Spencer’s shoulder as he played in the normal house, and kept everyone from drowning in the pool. 

 

Eventually, Dallon showed up, with no sign of Brendon, and so the four of them decided to just start without her. Mikey sent Brendon a text, in case she’d forgotten that they were all meeting up at Spencer’s house (or if she’d remembered but decided against it because of Ryan). Spencer started a new house for Ashley, Josh, Tyler, Jon, Ryan, and Sarah. They all decided that Melanie wouldn’t be in the house, because they’d probably end up killing her off in the end. 

 

“There’s an Extreme Violence mod, apparently, but I don’t think Sim Melanie is worth testing it out on,” Dallon said. 

 

“We could make a Trump Sim and try it on him,” Ryan offered, and Spencer grinned. Ryan pursed their lips. “Actually, never mind. I don’t want the FBI to come to your house because you made a Sim of the president just to kill him.”

 

“Do you really think the FBI would care enough to come after me?” Spencer said. “I mean, I’m just a kid in Indiana. Who actually cares about kids in Indiana?”

 

“Demogorgons,” Dallon said simply. “And Ryan’s right. Don’t risk getting arrested just to kill Donald Trump in the Sims. There are better things to get arrested for, like spray painting shit on police cars.”

 

Dallon looked back over their shoulder at Mikey. “I am not advocating for spray painting police cars, by the way. I’m just saying it’s a better reason to end up in jail than killing a Sim Trump.”

 

“I wasn’t planning on doing either of those,” Mikey said. They settled back in and let Spencer continue with creating all of their new friends. Mikey wasn’t sure if they considered Josh or Tyler their friend, and they’d only hung out with Sarah once or twice, but Ashley was definitely their friend. Mikey had been to her house. That was the definition of friendship, going to someone else’s house for no reason other than to hang out. 

 

“I have to piss,” Spencer said, and looked over at Dallon. Mikey had been friends with those three long enough to know that Spencer didn’t actually need to use the bathroom. He was just looking for an excuse to go make out with Dallon for a second. 

 

“I’m gonna go see if your mom has anything to drink,” Dallon said. They looked over at Mikey and Ryan in turn. “Do either of you guys want me to grab you something?”

 

“I’m good,” Mikey said. They weren’t too thirsty. They were also afraid of drinking too much soda and then having to actually piss, and then missing out on something important in the conversation. Mikey hated when that happened. It felt like they always came out of the bathroom while all of their friends were laughing at a joke that Mikey didn’t get to hear. It made Mikey feel like they were behind in the conversation. 

 

“I’m good too, thanks,” Ryan said. 

 

Dallon and Spencer both left, leaving Ryan and Mikey alone. Mikey didn’t know what to say to Ryan. They didn’t think  _ so how was Pete’s dick _ was an appropriate opener. They knew they’d been playing the Sims with their friends for too long, because they kept thinking of good introductions and then seeing two little red negative signs appearing above Ryan’s head. 

 

“Spencer told me you and your sister were making a comic book?” Ryan asked. They had a voice that made it seem as though they were bored by everything. It was a little unsettling, but Mikey was trying to remind themself that Ryan couldn’t control their own voice, no more than Mikey or Gee or anyone else could. 

 

“It’s a webcomic,” Mikey said. They bit at their fingernail. That made them and Gee sound a little pretentious. “It’s, uh, it’s kind of the same thing. It’s mostly Gee’s thing, too. I’m just… I help.”

 

“It sounds really cool,” Ryan said. They looked over at Spencer’s door. “Is it weird for you, being the fourth wheel to the three of them? Or is everyone still awkward around me?”

 

“I don’t feel like a fourth wheel,” Mikey said, frowning. Sure, they never kissed Brendon or Dallon or Spencer, but the three of them always made sure that Mikey felt included in their little circle. Mikey had never paid much attention to how the trio acted with anyone else, though. They shrugged. “I don’t think they’re acting awkward. Maybe you’re just not used to the three of them being together?”

 

Ryan gave Mikey an unreadable look. “You don’t feel like a fourth wheel.”

 

“No?” Mikey frowned harder. “Should I?”

 

“Maybe not,” Ryan said, and then said nothing more on the subject. The two of them sat in silence until Dallon and Spencer came back. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but Mikey was biting back questions the entire time, and they could tell that Ryan was doing the same thing. The two of them were the people closest to Spencer, and also the two people who’d slept with Pete and fucked things up for everyone involved. 

 

Mikey wondered if Ryan regretted sleeping with Pete as much as they did. They wondered if Pete hated Ryan for sleeping with them, or if they hated Mikey for trying to destroy their relationship with Josh. 

 

Mikey never asked. They went back to helping Spencer design their friends, and watching as he controlled their lives. Sims Mikey was having a better time than real life Mikey. They’d gotten a promotion as an astronaut and now they had a satellite to put out in their backyard. Mikey wished that they had a satellite for contacting aliens in real life. Mikey didn’t necessarily believe in aliens, but they were pretty sure that there were other life forms out there. 

 

They didn’t blame the aliens for ignoring earth, though. Earth sucked at the moment, and it didn’t look like it was getting better any time soon. 

 

“When did you say that your sister was coming to get you?” Dallon asked. Sim Gee had just shown up at the normal house. She looked really awesome, and Spencer had given her long black hair at some point, and she was wearing a sweater dress. 

 

“Five,” Mikey said. They sat up a little and looked out of Spencer’s window. Gee’s car was out there, waiting in the driveway. There was smoke coming out of the back of it, which meant that Gee hadn’t been here for very long. Mikey sighed. “Speaking of Gee… she’s here. I should probably go.”

 

“Seriously?” Spencer asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “Can you guys stick around for a bit?”

 

“Probably not, my mom’s making dinner and I don’t want her to get pissed off at Gee and I for being late,” Mikey said. They bit at their nail again, pulling off some of the skin. “I’ll see you guys on Monday?”

 

“Yeah, see you on Monday,” Dallon said, and leaned over to ruffled Mikey’s hair before they could pull their beanie back on. 

 

Spencer walked them back down the stairs, which Mikey thought was odd. They kept their eyes on him, trying to figure out what Spencer’s motive was. Mikey trusted Spencer, and considered the guy their friend, but they knew that things weren’t okay between the two of them. They didn’t see why Spencer would choose to do this when he could have stayed upstairs with his datemate and his friend.

 

Spencer stood between Mikey and the front door, his hand over the door handle and his gaze pointed downwards. “I wanted to… I’m sorry, Mikey. I’ve been treating you like shit, and I know what you and Pete did wasn’t… wasn’t the best choice, but that doesn’t mean I can be an ass at you for it. I mean, you and Pete were both down for it, and they weren’t technically dating Josh then, and if you and Gabe both said that it was fine, then it was fine--”

 

“You’re allowed to be pissed at me, you know,” Mikey said, interrupting Spencer’s rambling.

 

Spencer sighed. “I know. But I don’t want to. I was being a jerk, and I’m sorry. I don’t want to kill our friendship over something so dumb.”

 

“I wouldn’t call it dumb,” Mikey said, but they were smiling, and they reached out to pull Spencer into a hug. He rolled his eyes before wrapping his arms around Mikey and hugging them back. Mikey closed their eyes for a moment. “And you can’t kill our friendship that easily. I can be stubborn too.”

 

“I know,” Spencer said, and pulled back. He looked at Mikey for a moment before looking away. “Yeah, I know. Fucker.”

 

“You love me,” Mikey said. Spencer stuck his tongue out and opened the door for Mikey, motioning for them to go out to their sister. Mikey ducked under Spencer’s arm and waved. “See you Monday!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed, and feel free to say hi to me on tumblr @throamspallon!


	85. Beware the TERF

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating today for two reasons: 1) if I update now there will be enough of a gap between chapters that the next update will be when MANIA comes out, and 2) the chapter after this one is uh... pretty satisfying. 
> 
> And then shit hits the fan but I'm not gonna distract you guys from MANIA like that. I'm horrible, but I'm not /that/ horrible.

Brendon wasn’t at gym on Monday, either. Mikey was worried, Spencer was worried, and Dallon was pissed. They wouldn’t say why, though, but they made sure that Mikey and Spencer knew their anger was directed at Brendon’s parents, not at any of their friends. 

 

“It’s gotta be something her parents did,” Spencer said. He and Mikey had both gotten out of their seventh period early to go up to Mr. Armstrong’s room and set up for the GSA meeting. Raya had had to cancel at the last minute because of a doctor’s appointment that her dad had forgotten to tell her about, so it was just Mikey for today. Luckily, Spencer had agreed to help out, because this Monday was supposed to be an open house for anyone who was curious about the club and what it did but didn’t want to just show up to a regular meeting. 

 

Mikey thought the whole open house thing was dumb, but they didn’t have any control over what the GSA was and was not allowed to do. 

 

Mikey pulled the stapler open so that they could staple the poster to Mr. Armstrong’s bulletin board. “Maybe. Or maybe she has the flu and Dallon’s just pissed at her parents for convenience.”

 

Spencer stopped what he was doing and gave Mikey a disappointed mom look. “You don’t actually believe that, do you? I mean, really? The flu? Brendon would be complaining like hell in the groupchat if she was sick with only five weeks before the show, but she hasn’t said shit since the snow storm.”

 

Mikey glanced at their phone. “Shit. Seriously?”

 

“Hey, Mikey, Spencer, I know you’re enthusiastic about open house, but please watch your language while you work,” Mr. Armstrong said from the front of the class. It was weird, being in a classroom, during school hours, while another class was going on. Mikey felt like they were a really bad spy. 

 

“Sorry Mr. Armstrong,” Spencer said. He turned back around to Mikey. “There’s no way she’s sick. I know Brendon. She doesn’t skip school for shit. One time she showed up to a middle school chorus concert with a one hundred and three degree fever and fucking  _ killed  _ it.”

 

“Spencer,” Mr. Armstrong said from the front. “Come on. Language.”

 

“Sorry,” Spencer said, and this time he seemed like he meant it. He turned back around to the bulletin board. Spencer narrowed his eyes for a moment. “It’s crooked. Hold on.”

 

Mikey leaned back as Spencer stepped into their space to adjust the giant posters advertising the GSA. Some of the poster was absolute bullshit, like the giant “A is for Allies and Allies are Welcome!” that had been done in glitter paint. The A wasn’t always for Ally, depending on the length of the acronym and the person you asked. Sometimes, the A was for asexual and aromantic people, that that was fine in Mikey’s mind, because they didn’t always trust people who called themselves allies. A lot of times, “allies” were just overly curious straight people who wanted to add something to their resume. 

 

“Why’d we have to make the allies part so obvious?” Mikey asked, crossing their arms over their chest. “This isn’t about allies…”

 

“Well, apparently, the A was originally added on for people who were closeted or questioning, so that they wouldn’t have to out themselves to join a group,” Spencer said. “Some people use the Q for questioning instead of queer, since there are a lot of LGBT people who don’t like the word queer, but that doesn’t cover closeted people. And a lot of people have to stay closeted.”

 

“Yeah, I knew that,” Mikey said. They understood LGBT history for the most part, having grown up with Gee and Ray and Lindsey, all of whom were very invested in LGBT rights. “I just wish there wasn’t such an emphasis on straight people.”

 

“Unfortunately, it’s still a Gay  _ Straight _ Alliance, so we have to play nice,” Spencer said. He turned around and gave Mikey a sly grin. “I could totally start making out with another guy to make the straights uncomfortable, though.”

 

“What would Brendon and Dallon say?” Mikey asked, raising an eyebrow. “And I don’t think Andy would want to make out with you.”

 

“I’d ask first, duh,” Spencer said, shaking his head at Mikey as though Mikey should have known. “And we have other guy friends besides Andy, you know. I mean, Frank and Josh are both into guys, so they’d be easier to convince.”

 

“Frank would totally make out with you to scare straight people,” Mikey said. “Josh might not, since he’s dating Pete and all.”

 

“Good point,” Spencer said. He turned back around to look up at the bulletin board, and nodded. “Okay, I think I fixed it. It doesn’t look crooked anymore, does it? Or have I been staring at this for far too long to know what’s real anymore?”

 

“It looks good,” Mikey said, and missed the look Spencer gave them. Mikey had other things to think about. There were going to be real adult people coming to the GSA meeting today, and Mikey and their friends were going to have to explain themselves to those adult people. Mikey was not looking forward to it. They bit at the skin around their fingernail. “This is gonna suck balls.”

 

“Well, we’ll all be sucking balls together then,” Spencer said, and then made a face. “That’s… not at all what I meant.”

 

Mikey laughed. 

 

Spencer held up a poster and flipped Mikey off from behind it, so that Mr. Armstrong wouldn’t see. Mikey knew that Mr. Armstrong didn’t care, but he had to act like he did so that his students wouldn’t start getting ideas. Mikey stuck their tongue out at Spencer and then helped him with the few final posters. 

 

After that, there were still ten minutes until the day ended, so Spencer and Mikey grabbed two seats in the back of the class and acted like they were working on homework. They were not, because why the fuck would they, and instead, Spencer was zooming in on Mikey’s face on Snapchat and Mikey was acting like they had no idea what Spencer was doing. 

 

**mijey** : dallon……….. collect ur boyf

**dadeth** : My what????

**mijey** : boyfriend

**mijey** : check his snapchat

**mijey** : hes the worst

**dadeth** : Aren’t you two supposed to be setting up the GSA?

**mijey** : we finished early

**dadeth** : Well, now I’m jealous. I could be hanging out with you two, but nooooo, I have to be in class.

**p_wheezie** : say u have to piss

**dadeth** : And just take my backpack to the bathroom? I’m not a girl, Pete. That won’t fly.

**p_wheezie** : wait nevermind ur not an athlete u don’t have athlete privilege

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : being able to piss is athlete privilege

**p_wheezie** : mmmm.. privilege 

**p_wheezie** : i have like minus seven privilege

**mijey** : thats not how it works pete

**p_wheezie** : shh

**hurleyxvx** : next time someone asks me if i like guys or girls im gonna respond with “i like star wars”

**hurleyxvx** : this has nothing to do with the conversation i just thought about it

**p_wheezie** : someone: r u a guy or a girl

**p_wheezie** : joe, crying: yeahhh

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : pebter that is u

**p_wheezie** : PEBTER

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : u heard me pebter lebwis kingbston webnts the third

**hurleyxvx** : thanks i hate it

 

- **p_wheezie** changed their name to  **pebter** -

 

**pebter** : hashtag new era

**dadeth** : That name is the last thing you see before you die.

**hatrick** : i was checking my phone to see if anything important had happened and instead i see this

**pebter** : PATRICK

**pebter** : THIS IS IMPORTANT

**pebter** : JOE GAVE ME A NEW NAME

**pebter** : JOE IS MOM NOW

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : no i’m still weed cousin

**pebter** : UR MOM IN MY HEART

**dadeth** : Pete, stop pressing the shift down you ass.

 

The bell rang, and Mr. Armstrong’s class fell into chaos as everyone grabbed their things and headed for the door. A few kids hung back to ask Mr. Armstrong some questions, but rushed out once they were done. Mikey could understand, especially if those kids rode the bus. The school bus waited for no one. Mikey didn’t trust the school buses. 

 

“Did you two get everything finished?” Mr. Armstrong asked once all of his students were out of the room. Spencer nodded. Mr. Armstrong started pulling desks around. “Awesome. I was thinking we’d do the usual circle thing, but have Mikey and Ray in the front, and have a second half circle thing for the rest of the members. That way everyone can see each other, without the circle taking up the whole room.”

 

“Works for me,” Spencer said, and looked over his shoulder at Mikey. Mikey shrugged. They were fine with whatever, so long as they weren’t the only one facing down the teachers and the other guests. 

 

Then they remembered that Raya had a doctor’s appointment and wasn’t going to be able to make it. Mikey’s hand shot up. “Wait, Ray--Ray’s not coming. She has a doctor’s appointment. Also she’s going by Raya now, but just, you know, with in the club.”

 

Mr. Armstrong nodded for a long minute. “Got it. Well, I don’t want you being the only one there… so who else would you like to help you out?”

 

“Uh, Lindsey and Dallon, I think,” Mikey said. “That way we have different orientations, and we can always call on someone else in the club if there’s a question one of the three of us can’t answer.”

 

Mikey wished that Brendon was at school today. She’d have been great, with her built-in stage presence. Brendon didn’t back down from anything, even if she was scared out of her mind. Mikey knew some of that confidence was faked, but they still wished they had some of it. It’d be nice for a day like today. 

 

Mikey, Spencer, and Mr. Armstrong finished setting up the classroom as people started filling in. Lindsey and Dallon both agreed to work with Mikey to answer questions anyone had, and sat down on either side of them. Spencer sat in the seat behind Dallon, and Frank, Gee, and Ashley were behind Mikey. Pete, Josh, and Andy were on the far side of Lindsey, while Patrick and Joe were behind them. 

 

Sarah grabbed the seat on the other side of Spencer, and Tyler, Jenna, and Zach were behind her and Spencer. Mikey turned around in their seat to look at Gee. “You’ll back me up if I say anything dumb, right?”

 

“I’ve already got Google opened and the school wifi turned off,” Gee said. “I’ll be your statistics woman.”

 

Dallon glanced over at the Way siblings. “I didn’t even think about that. Good call.”

 

“Hey, we’re all gay in this together,” Ashley said. “We might as well be ready to back each other up if anyone starts spewing bullshit.”

 

“I would have gone with all in this to-gay-ther, but whatever,” Frank said. He was picking at a thread on his jacket, and grinned up from under his hair. “I guess puns aren’t important anymore.”

 

Gee bumped her elbow against his. “Dollar in the fucking jar, dude.”

 

“Alright, before the other adults come in, a quick reminder of the rules in this club,” Mr. Armstrong said. He was leaned against one of the desks across from Mikey and their friends, and he looked like a cool college professor for a moment. Mikey wondered if he wanted to teach college students, or if he was satisfied with teaching a bunch of teenagers. “One, no swearing. I personally don’t care, but it looks bad for everyone if we’re all swearing like sailors. Two, as much as it pains me to say it, you guys need to pander to the allies a lot today. Don’t let anyone feel alienated. Feel free to use Zach as an example. Three, don’t overuse Zach. It’ll make him feel bad.”

 

“Thanks, Mr. Armstrong,” Zach said. 

 

“You’re welcome,” he said. “And five, no gay jokes. I know you all know where to draw the line between humour and being an asshole, but most of these people know nothing about the LGBT community. They won’t be able to tell the difference between some kids poking fun of stereotypes, and the stereotypes themselves. So finally, rule six: always think about what you say before you say it. This isn’t an essay. You can’t just cross through something you don’t like and start over.”

 

Mikey knew Mr. Armstrong had been doing everything he could to keep the GSA alive, and they weren’t going to let him down. They could play nice to straight people; they’d been doing it with their parents for years. 

 

And then, the door opened again, and Melanie walked in. She had some other girls with her, none of whom Mikey recognised. Melanie smiled at everyone, even though most of the club was looking at her like they wished she was Brendon instead. She pointed to her friends. “Hi guys. Hope you don’t mind that I brought some friends. This is Grimes, Dua, and Taylor. They’re all lesbians. Like, real lesbians. I noticed there weren’t a lot of women in this club, so I figured I’d help out the diversity of it all.”

 

Mr. Armstrong got three more desks for Melanie’s friends, and none of the other club members said anything. Part of Mikey wished that Raya and Brendon were here, because they could tell that Melanie’s friends were all TERFs of some flavour, and those two would know how to deal with them. On the other hand, Raya and Brendon were still somewhat in the closet, and Mikey didn’t want to put them at risk of being outed. 

 

Dallon tapped Mikey’s wrist. “Ready?”

 

Mikey glanced over at Lindsey, who gave them a thumbs up. They turned back to Dallon, and nodded. Melanie and her TERF squad didn’t matter. They were outnumbered, and the club had Mikey’s back. Mikey tapped Dallon’s wrist back. “Ready.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> Also, I finally caved and bought a real Sims 4 game and made a version of the Thot House mentioned in an earlier chapter. I might make the nohic Thot House if I can find enough CC for it. Who knows.


	86. biphobi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello children it is MANIA time. I have the flu and no voice so I've been sleeping for most of the week. It also snowed but because I was trying not to die I didn't get to go out in it. 
> 
> Anyway, you guys don't care about that. You care about Melanie being kicked the fuck out. This is the last chapter she appears in (unless she comes back to get her ass beat by Lindsey, of course. Which might happen. Will Probably happen)

Mikey was back in the comfort of their own room. Gee was there, too, along with Frank, and the window was open so that the two of them could smoke without making the room smell horrible. Mikey was laying on their back, on their bed, and scrolling through twitter. They’d asked for positive tweets and cat pictures in case the meeting went sour, which it hadn’t, and now they were relaxing and enjoying the cats on their feed. 

 

“I love being twitter famous,” Mikey said. “I get to see so many awesome cats.”

 

“You know you could just google the word cat and get cat pictures for free, right?” Frank asked. He had on about twelve layers, but he was still shivering beside Gee. She had wrapped her comforter around herself, and offered it to Frank, but he shook his head. “You didn’t have to become famous to get cats.”

 

“Yeah, but these are organic cats,” Mikey said. “No NSA agent is going to tell me which cats I get to see.”

 

Frank looked down at his cigarette, and then up at Gee. “You sure this isn’t weed?”

 

“Weed makes you high, not your friends,” Gee said, rolling her eyes. “Mikey’s just weird when they come down from an anxiety attack.”

 

“They were having an anxiety attack?” Frank said, his eyes widening as he looked back over to Mikey. “Why didn’t you say anything, dude? I would have taken your place, I don’t care about what a bunch of boring adults think about me.”

 

“Because it was a minor one, shut up,” Mikey said. “I was still functional, I was just… panicking. Or whatever. It’s fine.”

 

“Sure,” Frank said, frowning. Mikey wanted him to stop worrying about their well-being and go back to making heart eyes at their sister. Ashley had been right when she pointed out that Frank had it bad for Gee. Mikey wondered if Gee felt the same. It would suck if she didn’t, because then things would get awkward again for everyone. 

 

**spooncer** : i didn’t think that would go so well

**zoid** : me too

**zoid** : straight people throwing me for a loop once again

**dadeth** : I think that counts as lesbophobia, then.

**bball_ace** : wait how

**zoid** : i, a lesbian, was inconvenienced.

**crybabydyke** : lindsey, i hate to have to tell you this, but if ur dating ray, ur not a lesbian

**crybabydyke** : he’s biologically a male, even if he tells you he’s a girl

**zoid** : ok but have u considered this

**zoid** : BE GONE, TERF

 

- **zoid** has removed  **crybabydyke** from  **olive fuckers** -

 

**zoid** : WHY was the chat named olive fuckers

**dadeth** : Lindsey, you’re both the hero we need and the hero we deserve

**bihalsey** : whoaaa u really removed melanie??? holy shit i thought she was joking

**bball_ace** : yeah i didn’t see that coming at all

**zoid** : joe wasn’t here so i had to do aer job for aer

**zoid** : but yea

**zoid** : if u terf, u get terfinated

**zoid** : like terminated but we kill u with gender

 

“Lindsey just kicked Melanie out of the chat,” Mikey said to Gee and Frank. 

 

Gee narrowed her eyes and nodded. “Good.”

 

“Why?” Frank asked, slowly. “Too many lesbians in one room or something?”

 

“Melanie’s a transphobe,” Mikey said. Gee was nodding eagerly in agreement in the corner. Mikey bit at their fingernail. “She said some shitty stuff, and Lindsey made her leave. I didn’t know Lindsey was able to remove someone from the chat, but I’m not complaining.”

 

“Do you think Melanie’s gonna try to get Mr. Armstrong involved? I mean, she brought three random chicks to the meeting, even though none of us knew them,” Frank said. He took a long inhale of his cigarette and then blew it out as he continued to speak. “I’m glad she’s out of the chat, because if she’s transphobic she shouldn’t be in it in the first place, but I don’t think she’s gonna just leave us alone now. I mean, Josh and Tyler are still in there, and they’re her friends.”

 

Mikey raised an eyebrow. “What about Ashley? I thought they were friends.”

 

“Ashley told me Melanie was ranting about how bi women were just dick-obsessed and she got so tired of it that she told Melanie to go shove a vibrator up her vagina if she needed stimulation that badly,” Frank said. Gee snorted in laughter, and Frank frowned. “What? Those were Ash’s words. Stop laughing at me, Gee, you fuck.”

 

“I’m not laughing at you,” Gee said. “I’m laughing at Ashley’s response. That’s fucking hilarious.”

 

“It’s Joe levels of awesome,” Mikey said, shrugging. 

 

Gee nodded, looking at Frank like he’d hung the moon in the sky, and Frank went red before ducking his head and faking a cough. Mikey knew it was a fake cough because they’d seen Frank cough many times before, and he didn’t cough like that. He threw his whole body into it, usually, as though he could physically fight the coughing away. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes and went back to their phone. They’d let Frank and Gee sort their shit out on their own time. At least no one was cheating on anyone anymore. 

 

**mijey** : so unrelated to terf be gone but i’m third wheeling

**spooncer** : make it poly

**mijey** : ….one of the other wheels is my sister

**spooncer** : JUST KIDDING

**spooncer** : DO NOT

**dadeth** : Spencer, you can’t solve everything with polyamory

**spooncer** : it’s better than love triangles imo

**djspookyjim** : speaking of love triangles… stranger things

**spooncer** : hard same

**bihalsey** : hopper is a dilf fight me

**zoid** : i’ll kick u out too don’t push your luck

**bihalsey** : am i not allowed to have opinions????

**dadeth** : Not if they’re bad ones, no.

**bihalsey** : this is…….. biphobi

**dadeth** : Biphobi

**djspookyjim** : biphobi

**spooncer** : biphobi

 

- **mijey** changed the name of the chat to  **biphobi** -

 

**bihalsey** : i hate all of you guys

**bihalsey** : u especially michael

**bihalsey** : if that’s even ur real name

**mijey** : my real name is mihijo

**momfriend** : mikey that literally just means myson

**mijey** : well considering ur my mom. its accurate

 

“Hey, string bean, why is Spencer telling you to date me?” Gee said. She flicked a paper ball across the room, but missed Mikey entirely. Frank was leaning into her personal space to look at the group chat, even though he had his own phone in his hand. Gee stubbed her cigarette out. “And Hopper isn’t a DILF, what the hell is wrong with you people? He has to have a kid to be a DILF.”

 

“He’s gonna adopt Eleven in the next season, don’t worry,” Mikey said. “Ashley’s just being prepared.”

 

Frank made a face. “Doesn’t she have a girlfriend?”

 

“Yeah, but the chances of Ashley time-travelling back to a town that doesn’t exist to fuck a fictional character are, like, none, so I don’t think it matters,” Mikey said. They knew that Hopper was played by an actual person, but they had no idea who the actor was, and hopefully he was all the way in Los Angeles. That’s where most actors were, anyway. 

 

“True,” Frank said. “I want some fucking breadsticks.”

 

“We don’t have any,” Gee said, not even phased by the sudden subject change. Mikey wondered how much time those two had been spending together while Mikey was at drama rehearsal. There weren’t a lot of GSA members who weren’t in drama, and now that Lindsey and Raya were dating, Gee couldn’t hang out with them. And Frank clearly liked Mikey’s sister, too. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “Jeez, guys, when are you two going to actually date?”

 

Gee and Frank looked at each other. Gee tilted her head, slowly, looking at Mikey like they were being more dense than usual. “Mikey. We are. I told you.”

 

Mikey frowned. “No you didn’t.”

 

“I didn’t?” Gee asked, looking at Frank. Of the three of them, Frank was the only one who could remember what had and what hadn’t happened. 

 

Frank put his hands up. “You told me to let you handle it. I don’t know what’s going on in your lives.”

 

Well, scratch that, then. Frank didn’t know shit. 

 

Gee turned back to Mikey. “Well, we’re dating. Ta-da.”

 

“Oh, cool,” Mikey said. They held their phone up. “Should I inform the group chat?”

 

“If you want to,” Frank said. Mikey put it in there, only to get a series of “no shits” from everyone. So, once again, Mikey just didn't realise shit was going on amongst their friends. They weren’t even mad about it, because it wasn’t as though Frank and Gee had been trying to hide their relationship from Mikey. Gee had just forgotten to mention it, and Frank had agreed to let Gee tell Mikey on her own time. 

 

Mikey laughed. “Maybe one day I’ll actually know something before everyone else. Not today, though.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! Also... not to be that guy... but please go read the Harvest Kids... it's my other child... it needs Love.... plase....


	87. Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to blame anyone for this chapter coming out today instead of tomorrow, blame the people on tumblr. They wanted this hell now. 
> 
> Am I a horrible person? Probably. But here we the fuck go. 
> 
> ****WARNING FOR HELLA TRANSPHOBIA BTW****

Gee and Mikey were in the drama hall bathroom again. Gee was doing her makeup and Mikey was working on homework. For once, they were ahead in class, and so they were just reading up on some notes to make sure they hadn’t missed anything important. 

 

Oddly enough, Pete joined them, along with Dallon and Spencer. Spencer took his usual place beside Mikey on the floor, and handed Mikey a cup of coffee. Mikey took it, and drank from it before gagging from how sweet it was. They turned the cup around in their hand. “Dude. What the hell did you put in here?”

 

“Oh, shit, that’s Dallon’s,” Spencer said, and got up to trade the cups. Apparently, Starbucks made peppermint hot chocolate, which was what Dallon had ordered, and Spencer had gotten that mixed up with the vanilla coffee for Mikey. He dropped back down beside Mikey and drank from his own cup before stifling a yawn. “I’m so fucking tired. I just want midterms to be over so I can stop giving a shit.”

 

“It doesn’t feel like March,” Pete said. They were sitting on the sink, not giving a single fuck as they applied more eyeliner to their face. “Does anyone know how to trim eyebrows?”

 

“I do, but I’m not touching your face with a ten foot pole,” Gee said. She looked at Spencer through the bathroom mirror. “And Spence, if you think it’s bad now, wait until next year, when everyone’ll be asking you about college shit and you have to take the SAT three times because your parents aren’t satisfied with your math scores.”

 

Dallon cringed. “You too? I hate the math section. It’s bullshit.”

 

“I know, right?” Gee said, and then she and Dallon fell into a conversation about standardised testing that Mikey didn’t care about. 

 

Eventually, Mikey got up and helped Pete with their eyebrows, because Mikey also knew how to trim eyebrows, and Pete’s eyebrows were tragic. Mikey wondered if it would be quicker to just take a razor to Pete’s face and just start over entirely, but they didn't want to piss Pete off, and shaving their eyebrows entirely would probably do that. 

 

“So, Ryan’s thinking about coming back to school,” Spencer said. Mikey almost pulled half of Pete’s eyebrow off, and Pete winced under them. 

 

“Wait, to here? Or, like, in general?” Dallon asked. 

 

“Here, probably,” Spencer said. “Apparently they’ve been talking to Jon about it, and since they were already an honours kid, it’s not like they’ll be behind. They only missed about a month and a half, all things considered.”

 

“That’s a lot, though,” Gee said. “And isn’t Ryan a junior, too?”

 

Spencer shrugged. “It’s their choice, I’m just updating you guys.”

 

Mikey wondered if Brendon knew. They hadn’t seen her so far today, which was odd, because Brendon was always in the drama hall bathroom before school. They almost asked Dallon about it, because Dallon knew Brendon’s parents, and they were the most likely person to know where Brendon was. 

 

They didn’t, because they still had to save Pete’s eyebrows, and then they had to race across the school so that they weren’t late to first period again. Frank and Ashley were waiting for Mikey when they got there, but they didn’t notice them come in. They were hunched over Ashley’s phone, looking down at something worriedly. Mikey slowed down as they got closer to their seat, trying to read either of their friend’s expressions. 

 

Mikey frowned. “Guys? Did someone die?”

 

“Do you have a Facebook?” Ashley said, instead of answering Mikey’s question. 

 

Mikey shook their head. “Why would I?”

 

“Oh,  _ shit _ , then,” Frank said. He kept looking down at Ashley’s phone and then back up at Mikey. Mikey’s anxiety was rising the longer Frank looked at that phone. Mikey reached out and snatched it out of Frank and Ashley’s hands before they could stop them. Frank’s eyes widened, “wait, Mikey--”

 

_ CHS, sorry to interrupt your usual feed, but we got this anonymous message from a student a few nights ago, and after some thorough research, we feel the need to post it. Everything on here is accurate, so far as we can tell.  _

 

_ “Hi. So, recently, I started noticing a lot of guys at school dressing like women, and going into the girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. At first I thought it was some weird freshman hazing thing, but it’s been going on all this year, and I’m really worried. These guys think that they’re transsexuals, or transgendered, or something, and it’s terrifying. I mean, these are MALES going into FEMALE bathrooms! What are they doing there? _

 

_ “I’ve been keeping track of which guys are cross-dressing and using transgenderism to invade female spaces at school. I don’t know if this is everyone, but hopefully this list will be enough to get the school administrators involved. Transgendered males are often violent, aggressive, and rapists. I don’t want boys like that in my school, let alone my bathrooms.  _

 

_ “The list, with pictures so that everyone knows who to watch out for: Gerard Way (calls himself Gee), Ray Toro, Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman, Patrick Stump, Dallon Weekes, and Brendon Urie. Please, girls, be careful out there. Guys like these are INCREDIBLY terrifying, and they’ll call you a b*tch or a ‘transphobe’ if you refuse to go out with them or share bathrooms with them.” _

 

Mikey felt like they were going to throw up. They weren’t on that list, but their sister was, as well as a good portion of their friends. They knew who’d sent the anonymous message, though. Melanie. They didn’t, however, know who’d posted it, because it was on the public CHS student Facebook page, which was run by a handful of popular kids that Mikey didn’t know. The page was visible to everyone, and most of the student body followed it, as well as some parents who didn’t realise that there was also a private one where everyone posted about house parties. 

 

House parties didn’t seem as important now. The post had everyone’s faces on it, too, and it had almost one hundred shares. And it was still going. 

 

Mikey swallowed, thickly. They were having trouble breathing, and it felt like all of their organs were pressing against their ribcage and trying to escape. “How… how long has this been up?”

 

“It was posted at six fifty-five,” Ashley said. She glanced behind Mikey. Mikey didn’t look. They didn’t want to see if anyone was watching them, waiting to see how they’d react to their sister and their friends being outed to the entire school. Ashley reached out, slowly, and put her hand on Mikey’s arm. “Mikey, I’m so sorry. I’ve already messaged the group to try and get them to take it down, but I don’t know if they’ll listen to me.”

 

“I made a Facebook just to tell them to take it down,” Frank said. The late bell rang. Ashley didn’t move. Frank looked over Mikey’s shoulder as well, but he was looking over at Mr. Armstrong’s desk. “Should we tell Mr. Armstrong?”

 

“What would he even do?” Ashley asked. 

 

“Talk to the administration,” Frank said. “Explain what’s going on. I mean, they might not listen to us, but they might listen to the people who could get them expelled.”

 

“Ashley, don’t you have a class to get to?” Mr. Armstrong said. When Mikey looked over at him, they could tell that he wasn’t going to push Ashley to leave if she said no. Mr. Armstrong was a pretty observant man, for a teacher, and none of the three of them were hiding their facial expressions well. 

 

“No,” Ashley said. “Mikey, Frank, and I have something to talk to you about.”

 

Mr. Armstrong frowned. The announcements started up in the background. He glanced over at them, and then motioned for Ashley, Frank, and Mikey to come over to his desk. “Alright. I’ll write you a late pass if you make it quick.”

 

The three of them got up and walked across the front of the room. Mikey was still trying to hold back a panic attack. They wished that they weren’t so tall, so that Frank or Ashley could shield them from the rest of the class. Mikey was significantly taller than both of their friends, though despite being about a year younger than them. 

 

Ashley pulled out her phone when the three of them were all at Mr. Armstrong’s desk. Mikey let her explain the situation, because they felt like their throat was closing up and they weren’t sure if they’d be able to talk. Frank reached out for their arm, and Mikey shakily grabbed onto his hand while Ashley talked. Mr. Armstrong was paying more attention to her than to Mikey and Frank, but Mikey could see the concern growing on his face, along with anger at what had been happening right under his nose. 

 

Ashley said Gee’s name, and that was when Mikey actually broke down, sobbing. Frank looked panicked, as did Ashley, but Mikey couldn’t stop. It was a panic attack, and they were aware enough to know what was going on but not in enough control to actually stop it from happening. They dug their nails into Frank’s hand and were able to hear him say something about taking Mikey to the clinic, and Ashley asking for permission to go with them both. 

 

Frank slowly let go of Mikey and wrapped his arm around Mikey’s shoulders. Ashley came around on the other side of Mikey and put her arm around their waist as the two of them walked Mikey out of the classroom. Someone made a remark about it, and Frank whirled his head towards the guy and spat, “what the fuck did you just say, fuckass? Say that to my fucking face, I dare you.”

 

The guy didn’t say anything else. 

 

Once they were out of the classroom, Frank moved around to look up at Mikey and look them over. “Do you want to go to the clinic, or…?”

 

“Drama bathroom,” Mikey wheezed out between sobs. “Safe.”

 

“Got it. Come on, Frank, let’s go,” Ashley said. “Do you have weed in your locker, or would that make things worse?”

 

“I’ll meet you two there,” Frank said. “Girl’s bathroom, right?”

 

Mikey nodded weakly, and then they and Ashley headed in one direction and Frank in the other. Mikey vaguely hoped that Frank wouldn’t get caught out of class, especially because he was getting drugs from his locker and didn’t have a hall pass. Ashley and Mikey didn’t, either, but Mikey was visibly upset, so hopefully no one would stop them on their way down to the bathrooms. 

 

Ashley and Mikey settled down in the last stall, with Mikey half curled over and Ashley rubbing their back, gently, and listing off all the facts she could remember about  _ Legally Blonde the Musical. _ Mikey didn’t care much about a Legally Blonde musical, but there were a lot of interesting facts and it helped them get their mind off of what had happened that morning. 

 

Frank appeared a few minutes later with a new jacket and no visible weed. When he sat down on the other side of Mikey, though, he took his jacket off and revealed enough for the three of them. “Figured I’d look less suspicious if I was getting a jacket out of my locker instead of a little bag. Also, if they ever bring drug dogs in here, I can just say that one of my parents smokes weed and that’s why my jacket smells like it.”

 

“You have a weed smoking jacket,” Ashley said, and rolled the blunt up. “Amazing.”

 

“I think things through sometimes,” Frank said. He squeezed Mikey’s hand. “You doing better, dude?”

 

“Ish,” Mikey muttered. The worst of it was over, but now they were tired, their eyes were sore and itchy from the crying, their jaw was sore, and their entire body was shaking. They weren’t sobbing any more, so that was an improvement. 

 

“We’re here for you, and Gee, you know,” Ashley said, and handed Mikey the joint. They took it willingly. “If you ever need us to fight someone, or tell them to shove a cactus up their ass and stop being ignorant, let us know.”

 

Mikey nodded. They couldn’t really say much. It wasn’t that they went non-verbal when they were having a panic attack. They just had too much going on to be able to get their thoughts together, and even if they could, they were afraid they’d start crying again if they were talking for too long. 

 

Having anxiety sucked. Mikey wouldn’t wish this on anyone, even if they hate that person. 

 

Mikey pulled their legs up closer to their chest. “It had to be Melanie. Didn’t it?”

 

“I don’t know,” Ashley said. “I mean… I didn’t think she was the type to do that, but I don’t know. I thought she was my friend and now she’s just… not who I thought she was.”

 

“If it was Melanie, let’s egg her car too,” Frank said. “Or piss in her locker. Does she have a locker? We could piss in it and then put a sign on her locker that says  _ a trans person pissed here ooohhhhhh scarrryyyyyyy _ or something.”

 

“We’re not pissing in lockers,” Mikey said. 

 

“Why not?” Ashley said. “I read about the North Carolina stuff. If they won’t let trans people piss in stalls, you guys have to go somewhere else. Why not in the offices and lockers of the people who thought that law was a good idea?”

 

“It’s a great idea, Mikey, come on,” Frank said. “Piss smells gross and it’s hard to get out of things.”

 

“I don’t know. I don’t want her to know it was us,” Mikey said. They bit at their fingernail. “I mean, what if it wasn’t Melanie, but one of her friends she brought to that meeting? She might have been a part of it all, but maybe she didn’t choose to post it publicly?”

 

Ashley raised an eyebrow. “You’re defending her?”

 

“I’m offering ideas,” Mikey said. “Even if it’s not her, she still should be banned from the GSA for all the transphobic bullshit she’s been saying. That kind of shit isn’t cool.”

 

“I vote in agreement,” Frank said. He handed the blunt over to Ashley. “Transphobic people are all pieces of shit and they don’t deserve to be in gay spaces. We can fucking fight Melanie if we have to, I don’t give a shit.”

 

Suddenly, there were rapid footsteps, and Ashley, in a panic, slammed the rest of the joint against the bathroom floor to put it out. Mikey slapped their hand over Frank’s mouth so that he wouldn’t say anything else. Ashley opened her mouth slightly, slowly letting out smoke into the air. Mikey didn’t know what to do, or if they could even move at all. 

 

Mikey glanced under the stalls, but they didn’t recognise the shoes. They were Doc Martens, dark red, but there were plenty of people in this school who could be wearing those, and Mikey didn’t pay too much attention to feet anyway. 

 

“Pete, are you in here?” another voice said, accompanied by a second pair of footsteps. The second pair stopped behind the Doc Martens, and the Doc Martens almost turned, with one foot pointed towards the sinks and the other towards the door. The second pair of shoes stepped forward, and then stopped. “What are you… are you crying?”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it, Josh,” Pete said. Mikey sat up and looked at their two friends. They suddenly wanted to be anywhere other than this very bathroom. 

 

“Is… is the post true?” Josh asked. He didn’t know where to put his feet, and he kept moving back and forth without going anywhere at all. “I mean. Are you…”

 

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it,” Pete said. They definitely sounded like they had been crying. “Please just… just leave me alone.”

 

“I can’t, man,” Josh said. He stepped forward, and this time, he stayed. “You--I need to know if that post was true. If you’re really one of those people who think they’re a girl. Pete… come on. Don’t look at me like that…”

 

“Don’t ask me questions you already know the answer to!”

 

Josh stepped back. Pete turned back around so that they were facing the mirrors. Josh tapped his heel against the floor. “So. That’s it, then? You’ve been lying this whole time about what you are? I’m  _ gay _ , Pete! I don’t--I don’t date girls, or guys who think they’re girls, or whatever’s messing you up in the hea--”

 

Mikey almost didn’t see Pete’s feet move, but they did. Pete was in Josh’s space, and then there was the sound of fist hitting face, followed by an “oof!” from Josh and then his ass hitting the floor. And then Pete was on top of him, but they weren’t kissing, they were fighting. And then Ashley was moving before Mikey could tell her that it was a bad idea, and Frank was right behind her but they were going towards different people. 

 

Ashley went to Pete, pulling them off of Josh, and Frank pulled his fist back, snarling like Josh had been insulting him instead of Pete, and Mikey just barely had time to grab Frank by the wrist and hold him back. Frank spat down at Josh, still growling. “Go to hell, you piece of shit! You fucking fuck! Shitbags like you don’t belong here, you belong in the fucking trash! FUCK!”

 

“Frank!” Ashley yelled. “Calm down!”

 

“Calm down?! This douchebag just called Pete a fucking--I don’t even know, fuck you, Josh Dun!” Frank said, and attempted to kick at Josh. 

 

Ashley let go of Pete long enough to turn to Josh and give him a good glare. “You should leave. And go do some fucking research while you’re at it.”

 

Josh looked at Pete for a moment, like Pete would support him after what had just happened. Pete was looking at the ground, though, with a tear dripping down their face. Josh was on his own, and quite frankly, Mikey didn’t care. Josh got up, shakily, and grabbed some paper towels on his way out. 

 

Pete pressed their face to Ashley’s shoulder, and she ran her hand gently through their hair. Pete sniffled and then looked up at Mikey and Frank. “Don’t… don’t tell Andy about this. Please.”

 

Mikey nodded. It was the least that they could do. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave all screams below


	88. Post Exposure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> Told you it gets better.

Mikey wasn’t sure how they were supposed to go back to class after that, but they did. They skipped second and third period with Frank, Ashley, and Pete, but they returned to class after that because they didn’t want the school to call their parents and complain about Mikey missing class. 

 

They settled down in their seat and tried to take notes, but they couldn’t stop thinking about the post and about what had happened to Pete. Everything sucked. Mikey didn’t even want to go on twitter to talk to their followers, because they didn’t want to talk about what was going on in their school with people who weren’t there. 

 

**mijey** : so hows everyone doing

**zoid** : i’m pissed

**momfriend** : i came out to my mom on the way to school this morning and she took it relatively well so if anyone needs to hide from their parents my couch is an option

**zoid** : whoa u came out to ur mom????

**momfriend** : yea i didn’t plan it or anything

**momfriend** : she’d find out either way i just wanted to be the one who told her

**momfriend** : how’s everyone else tho

**spooncer** : dallon’s spending the night at my house and we still haven’t heard anything from brendon :////

**momfriend** : im sure shes fine

**spooncer** : how sure

**momfriend** : like 100% my guy

**hurleyxvx** : just so the entire chat knows… if any of u fuckers think transgender people are liars or perverts or whatever the fuck bullshit u’ve come up with today: get the fuck out of this chat, this gsa, and this city, because i will find u. and i will kill u. 

**hurleyxvx** : im dead serious leave the chat now

**zoid** : i think everyone still in here is cool but i feel you andy

**bihalsey** : hold on

**zoid** : ?????

**mijey** : idk what she’s doing but at this point she’s one of the only cis i trust

**fanklin** : binch me too th efuck

**zoid** : ashley if u are fighting melanie drop ur location i’ll back u the fuck up

 

- **djspookyjim** has left  **biphobi** -

 

**zoid** : ????????

**mijey** : idk my dude

**fanklin** : what the fuck yes u do

 

-private message to  **fanklin** -

 

**mijey** : pete said not to say anything to andy and since andy is in the group chat i’m playing dumb

**fanklin** : there’s playing dumb and then there’s not telling ur friend that someone they thought of as a friend is actually a piece of shit transphobe   
**mijey** : petes closest to andy so if anyone’s gonna explain it then it’ll be pete

**mijey** : they’ve known each other forever let them figure that shit out

**fanklin** : i think ur being a dumbass and ur not nearly as over pete as you think but sure. we’ll act like idiots. that can’t go wrong

 

Mikey frowned at their phone. They didn’t want to keep Andy or anyone else in the GSA from the truth either, but they wanted to respect Pete’s wishes. And despite what Frank said, they didn’t have any left over feelings for Pete. Valentine’s Day had made that perfectly clear. 

 

They wanted to know how Raya was so sure that Brendon was fine. No one had heard from her in days, and now suddenly Raya of all people knew what was going on? Mikey trusted Raya, of course, having known her for most of their life, but they knew that Raya and Brendon weren’t super close. If Brendon was going to confide in someone in the group, she’d probably choose someone other than Raya. 

 

-private message to  **hetty_mcgee** -

 

**mijey** : hey i kno u havent been in school but people are worried about u and i just wanna make sure ur ok

**mijey** : pls respond??

 

Nothing. Mikey kept checking their phone all period, but Brendon never texted them back. Mikey bit down on one of their nails and kept picking at them for the rest of the day. It was too chaotic. Too much was happening, and Mikey just wanted things to go back to normal for five minutes. They wanted their friends to all be safe and in the closet to the school, and they wanted Melanie and her shitty friends to fuck the hell off. 

 

Gee hung out in the back of the theatre for Mikey’s drama rehearsal. Most of the GSA was there, even the people who weren’t in the show. Mikey tried to ignore Melanie, but it was hard. Every time she spoke or came into Mikey’s point of view, their anxiety flew through the roof and they felt like they’d been shocked. 

 

“I hate it,” Dallon muttered between scenes. They were standing on stage right with Mikey, with their arms crossed over their chest tightly. “I hate that people can just do that… just gain someone’s trust and learn about them and then… expose them. I don’t know what to think, or do, or… or anything.”

 

“You’ve got Spencer, though,” Mikey said. “I’m pretty sure he’d fight the sun for you if you asked.”

 

“The sun didn’t out me to the entire school,” Dallon said, and they had a point. They leaned against Mikey so that their shoulders were pressed together. Mikey wished for a moment that they were taller, so that Dallon could rest their head on Mikey’s shoulder and just relax for a second. It wouldn’t change what was going on in the real world, but at least Dallon would know that they weren’t going through all this suckage without support. Mikey would do anything to help Dallon out, because they--

 

Oh,  _ shit _ . Mikey’s eyes widened, and a sense of panic washed over them. It wasn’t Melanie this time. It was something else. Something much worse, in Mikey’s mind, even if the rest of the world wouldn’t care. 

 

Mikey would do anything for Dallon,  _ because they had a fucking crush on them _ . Fuck. Mikey didn’t move, because they didn’t want Dallon to realise that something was going on, nor did they want Dallon to think that they’d suddenly changed their mind about being a good and supportive friend. 

 

Mikey could be a good and supportive friend. They’d done it before, when it had been just Dallon and Spencer dating and Dallon had kissed Brendon. Of course, they didn’t have a brand new, where the hell did that come from, crush on Spencer, but hey. Mikey was good at making things up on the spot. And they’d learned from Pete that sometimes it was best to just… never act on their feelings, even if the moment arose. 

 

“Dallon, Mikey, get out from behind the curtain,” Veronica said. “We’re going over the choreography now, and you two are a part of that.”

 

“Should I put on heels first?” Dallon asked, but it didn’t sound very confident. Two days ago, Dallon could have said the same thing and it would have been funny. Not because Dallon was non-binary, but because they were tall already and the last thing they needed on stage was a pair of heels. Now, though, with that post still out there, Dallon in heels was a lot less funny. 

 

“You’re tall enough as you are, dear,” Veronica said, because she really was supportive when people needed it the most. Mikey had no idea how she did it, but she always seemed to know when one of the GSA members in her theatre was feeling down. She was a weird kind of mom person. 

 

Mikey bumped their shoulder against Dallon’s and headed out onto the stage. There was too much else going on for them to throw another crush into the mix. They needed to focus on their friends, and then figure out their own feelings. 

 

Mikey took a deep breath. They could do this. It wouldn’t blow up in their faces like it had with Pete. 

 

Mikey made it through drama rehearsal without doing anything dumb, and then followed Gee and most of the GSA out into the parking lot. They moved like a pack of wild animals now, afraid to let anyone out on their own. Ashley and Spencer were at either end, watching the kids left in the parking lot carefully. Gee got Mikey, Lindsey, Pete and Andy while Spencer got everyone else, and they all made sure everyone was safely in their correct cars before driving off. 

 

“This sucks ass,” Andy said. “Who the fuck does that fucking Facebook page think they are, anyway? I mean, seriously, they’re just gonna post shit without questioning it now? What the hell?”

 

“It’s disgusting,” Lindsey agreed. It looked at Gee through the rearview mirror. “If your parents are shitty about it, text me, okay? You can crash with me and my mom if you need to.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Gee said. Somehow, Mikey didn’t believe her. They didn’t say anything, though, because Gee could be stubborn and they didn’t want her to internalise everything. Gee smiled back at Lindsey, softly. “Thanks, though.”

 

“No problem,” it said. “We’re still friends, you know.”

 

“I know,” Gee said. Mikey felt like they were interrupting something, even though they weren’t and Lindsey and Gee both had someone else that they were dating. They’d thought, back when Gee and Lindsey had been dating, that the two of them were soulmates, and that they’d be together forever. 

 

They’d been wrong, of course. Mikey was realising that there was a lot out there in the world that they knew nothing about. They just had to accept that they didn’t know shit, and move on. Life didn’t stop just because Mikey was confused. Mikey just had to be ready for it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it!


	89. Don't Tell Andy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to update this for like 2 whole days. Admittedly, all of my math homework + an English essay were due today so I was a little side-tracked. I remembered it, though! Which means that the chapter after this one is the one where Melanie gets her ass kicked. 
> 
> By Lindsey. Her ass might get kicked again later on, just for funsies.

Mikey got a text from Pete less than a minute after they dropped Pete and Andy off at their shared street corner. Mikey glanced up at Gee, but she was too busy driving to notice. 

 

-private message from  **pebter** -

 

**pebter** : thanks for not telling andy earlier

**pebter** : i kno i should tell him but 

**pebter** : idk

**pebter** : is is bad that i still care about josh

**pebter** : like even after all that shit he said about me i still dont want anyone hurtng him

**mijey** : it makes sense

**mijey** : we can’t control who we care about 

**pebter** : everything is so fucked up now

**pebter** : i dont know what to do

**mijey** : i don’t either im sorry pete

**pebter** : what if josh was right and im not really trans im just fucked up in the head

**mijey** : ok first of all josh is entirely incorrect about trans people

**mijey** : second even if u are fucked up in the head that doesn’t mean u aren’t or cant be trans

**pebter** : idk i just feel like everything i do is for attention

**pebter** : sometimes i just wanna fuckin die

**mijey** : dont die over a stupid cis dude

**mijey** : ur better than that 

**pebter** : am i

**mijey** : yes????

**pebter** : :///// i don’t feel like it

**pebter** : sorry for ruining your day by the way

**mijey** : first of all u didn’t ruin shit. whoever posted that fuckery ruined my day and they are not forgiven

**mijey** : second, you will feel better. i mean, look at gee. she’s not perfect but she’s getting better. It just takes time and probably a lot of therapy

**pebter** : lol

**pebter** : i need like 17 therapy at this point

**mijey** : its ok i need like 10

**pebter** : ten whole therapy

**mijey** : u started it u fuck

**pebter** : that i did

**pebter** : i have to deal with andy’s parents now adios string bean man person

 

“Who was that?” Gee asked. Lindsey was still in the backseat of the car, but Mikey didn’t feel the need to hide anything from it. Besides, they’d just been talking to Pete. There was nothing to need to hide in the first place. 

 

“Pete,” Mikey said. “They’re worried about everything. I was just being a good friend.”

 

“Just as a friend, right?” Gee said. She knew everything about Mikey and Pete’s history, aside from the sex details. Mikey trusted Gee more than anyone, and it made sense for her to know, especially since she was Mikey’s older sister and they were supposed to be able to tell each other everything. 

 

Mikey nodded. “Just as a friend. I’m not interested in Pete.”

 

“I know,” Gee said. “But you’re also pretty much an idiot when it comes to your own feelings.”

 

“You really are,” Lindsey said, piping up from the back. “It’s like… you just ignore your feelings and hope that no one, including yourself, catches on to what’s happening, but then by the time you realise you have a crush on someone, all of us already know.”

 

Mikey’s eyes widened before they could stop themself. “Wait, even the person I have a crush on?”

 

“No,” Gee said, and Mikey wasn’t sure if she was being honest or nice. “You’re obvious, but not that obvious.”

 

“Thank fuck,” Mikey said, because they didn’t want Dallon to know that they had a crush on them. They didn’t want Spencer or Brendon to know, either, because that would make things really awkward. Mikey sighed. “I should probably tell Gabe.”

 

“That’d be the smart person thing to do,” Lindsey said. Mikey didn’t ask it if they’d learned that from being with Gee, because they weren’t actually an idiot. Mikey didn’t know if Gee was polyamorous, or if she’d be open to dating a lesbian and a bi guy at the same time. Part of the reason Lindsey and Gee hadn’t worked was because Gee didn’t think she was enough of a girl for Lindsey, even though Lindsey had made it pretty clear that it didn’t care. 

 

Gee glanced at Mikey. “Are you gonna do it now, or say you’ll do it later and then forget about it?”

 

“What is this, National Roast Mikey Day?” Mikey said, rolling their eyes and pulling their phone out. “I’ll do it now, jeez.”

 

-private message to  **fangzout** -

 

**mijey** : so

**mijey** : we may be “ending” our “relationship” soon bc i have a crush

**fangzout** : its not on pete is it bc thats the whole reason for this fake relationship

**mijey** : no it’s on dallon

**fangzout** : somehow. u managed to make it worse

**mijey** : i kno

**mijey** : but also pete’s boyfriend turned out to be kind of ehh and so i don’t think they’re still dating anyway

**fangzout** : wouldnt that make people suspicious if u suddenly became single right when pete did

**mijey** : what do u want to be dating me

**mijey** : gabe thats gay

**fangzout** : i don’t want to date or not date you dude; its whatever. but i dont want people asking u awkward questions just because we “broke up” right after pete and his boyfriend

**fangzout** : speaking of the ex do i need to cut his dick off or was it just like normal breakup stuff

**mijey** : you don’t need to cut his dick off

 

Gee pulled up to Lindsey’s house and let it out. Lindsey waved before walking up it’s driveway, and it’s mom opened up the door when it knocked. Gee and Mikey waved to Lindsey’s mom before Gee drove away, back towards their house. Mikey was nervous. They had no idea if their parents would even know about the Facebook post, or if the post had been taken down. Mikey still didn’t have a Facebook account, and even if they did, they’d been at drama rehearsal for the last four hours. They hadn’t been online since the morning, really. 

 

“Do you think mom and dad are going to know?” Mikey asked. 

 

“No idea,” Gee said. “But if they act like they’re gonna be shitty about it, then I’m going to lie like a mother fucker and hope they believe me. I can probably spin it into the poster saying I was all those things because I’m pan instead of trans if I have to.”

 

“Hopefully you won’t have to,” Mikey said. 

 

Gee nodded. “Yeah. Hopefully.”

 

The rest of the drive back home was short yet quiet. Gee was holding the steering wheel tightly, and Mikey knew she was thinking about just driving past their house and going onward. Mikey didn’t know where the two of them would go if they ran away, but they knew that if Gee left, Mikey would follow her. The two of them balanced each other out well, even if they were a little too close to be healthy sometimes. 

 

Gee parked out on the driveway and she and Mikey walked around to the backseats to grab their bags. The kitchen light was on, but Gee didn’t head upstairs. She went straight to her and Mikey’s room and put her headphones on. It was a pretty clear sign: if their parents wanted to talk to Gee, they had to come to her. Gee wasn’t going to make the first move. 

 

Mikey decided it was safest to follow Gee’s lead. The post hadn’t outed them, it had outed Gee, and so Mikey’s opinions didn’t mean much in comparison to hers. Mikey wasn’t going to get questioned or harassed the way Gee might. Mikey was fine with just sitting back and letting Gee choose the pace with this one. 

 

-private message from  **fangzout** -

 

**fangzout** : idk if this is a good time but uh i saw the fb post from ur school

**fangzout** : and uh what the fuck

**mijey** : yeah its Bad

**mijey** : idk what to do

**fangzout** : youre not going to like the answer but you guys are probably going to have to do a lot of explaining to the cishets at your school to get yourselves out of trouble

**mijey** : i know i just dont want to put my friends in any more danger

**fangzout** : its all bullshit

**fangzout** : cis people think they get to know whatever they want about us and then turn around and cry wolf whenever we dont act the way they think we should

**mijey** : do you want to be in the group chat

**mijey** : it might help

**fangzout** : yeah

**fangzout** : you guys need all the actual gay support you can get

**fangzout** : mind if i share the link with travie and willow

**mijey** : yeah 

**mijey** : the transphobe we think did it is no longer in the chat or allowed in the club so you and willow shouldn’t have to worry about getting outed

**fangzout** : i’ll ask them and get back to you about it

 

Mikey put their phone away and opened their textbook. They were supposed to be reading one of the short stories in it and analyzing it for themes, but they could barely read the words. There was too much else to think about, and a boring story wasn’t enough to keep Mikey’s mind from wandering back to what had happened today. 

 

It really was bullshit, like Gabe had said. Gee and the other people on that list had never done anything to hurt Melanie or make her feel like she was unsafe. And yet, Melanie, or whoever had made the post, felt the need to put Gee and half of Mikey’s friends in danger of getting assaulted or kicked out of their houses. A good portion of Mikey’s friends came from religious households, and Mikey knew that some of their friends’ parents were transphobic. 

 

It was bullshit, and it wasn’t fair. Melanie and her friends would probably get away with it, too, because the world hated trans people. 

 

They grabbed their earbuds and put them in, turning the volume up so that they could drown out their thoughts. They felt like a teenage cliche, sitting in the middle of their bed with their music so loud it would make them deaf. They weren’t a normal teenager, though. Normal teenagers didn’t have to deal with this shit. Normal teenagers just fell in love with a popular girl and whined about it on their blogs. 

 

God, Mikey wished they were a normal teenager, sometimes. They didn’t ask for any of this. 

 

-private message from  **hurleyxvx** -

 

**hurleyxvx** : hey did anything weird happen with pete today? they’ve been weirdly quiet

**hurleyxvx** : other than the obvious, i mean

 

Mikey stared at their phone for a long moment. They knew what was going on with Pete, but Pete had told them to not tell Andy about it. Mikey didn’t want to break that promise, even though they personally though it would better if Andy knew what was going on. From what Mikey had picked up, Andy and Pete were best friends. Best friends were supposed to know everything about each other. 

 

Mikey sighed. 

 

**mijey** : idk you’d have to ask them

**hurleyxvx** : i’ve tried and they aren’t saying anything

**hurleyxvx** : look mikey i know things between you and pete have been like an asshole in the past but they’re one of my best friends

**hurleyxvx** : i just want to know that they’re okay

**mijey** : it’s not my place to tell

**hurleyxvx** : seriously

**mijey** : sorry. i promised pete; you’ll have to ask them

**hurleyxvx** : you guys are all needlessly complex

 

He had a point, but Mikey still wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. They’d promised Pete, and for once, they were trying to do the right thing. Even though they didn’t agree with Pete on what the right thing was, and they kind of wanted to know what Andy would do if he found out about Josh. 

 

Mikey was probably a horrible person. They looked at their phone again. They could tell Andy, if they really wanted to. It’d probably be better, in the end. Pete wouldn’t be hiding anything from their friend, Mikey wouldn’t feel guilty about lying, and Andy would stop feeling left out of the loop. 

 

Gee sat up from where she was hunched over her art and took out one earbud. She glared at Mikey until they took out one of their own. Gee twirled her tablet pen around. “Whatever you’re thinking about, don’t do it.”

 

“How the hell did you know I was planning something?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Because we’re related, and you were staring at your phone like you were trying to move it telepathically,” Gee said. 

 

Mikey frowned. “You don’t know what the plan was.”

 

“You looked extremely uncomfortable,” Gee said. She straightened her back up a little. “Trust me. I know a bad idea when I see one. I’ve had enough of my own.”

 

“That’s… that’s valid,” Mikey said. Gee had made a lot of dumb decisions in her life. She’d made some pretty good ones too, but both Way siblings were kind of idiots. Mikey decided to to with Gee on this one, and keep silent. If Pete asked them what they should do, though, Mikey would tell them to tell Andy. Mikey sighed. “This is stressful.”

 

“You’re telling me,” Gee said. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Mikey wasn’t sure when she’d gotten bold enough to smoke in the house, but they supposed it didn’t matter too much. Everyone else but Mikey was smoking anyway; it wasn’t as though their parents would really notice the change in smell. 

 

Gee frowned. “I really do not want to go to school tomorrow. I wish I could skip, but I’ve already missed a bunch because of the hospital and I don’t want mom and dad to get worried and ask me a bunch of questions.”

 

“Keep your phone on you?” Mikey suggested. “And if anything shitty happens text me and we can go hide out in the bathrooms together. Or whatever you need to do.”

 

“Thanks, Mikes,” Gee said, and smiled a little at them. 

 

Mikey didn’t know if things were going to be okay. They didn’t know how the next few days would go, because they’d never had to deal with something like this before. All they knew was that, no matter what happened, they had Gee’s (and all their other friends’) backs. And if anyone turned out to be a dick, Mikey could just unleash Frank on them. Frank seemed like he had a lot of pent up rage in his tiny body. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	90. The Fight!! (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, what everyone has been waiting for.... the epic show down (part one)!!
> 
> Warning for some transphobia and then Lindsey being amazing!

Wednesday was terrifying. Mikey didn’t know what to expect when they followed Gee into school that day, but nothing much had changed. The only difference was that Mikey knew why people were giving them and Gee wary looks. Mikey hovered around Gee all the way to Gee’s homeroom. They didn’t want to leave her alone, in case someone tried something. 

 

Raya and Lindsey were waiting outside of the classroom. Raya looked good. She’d gotten her hair done and had half of it pinned back so that it poofed out on one side. She wasn’t dressing much differently, but her jeans were girl’s jeans and the sleeves on her shirt were shorter than usual. Lindsey was wearing black overalls over a white shirt that said  _ femme _ on it. Lindsey uncrossed it’s arms. “So today’s gonna suck.”

 

“No shit,” Raya said. “I wish we had more classes together.”

 

“Well I didn’t plan on being outed to the entire school when I made my schedule this year,” Gee said, and shrugged. “Guess you can’t plan for everything.”

 

It sucked that this was happening. Mikey had no idea how many times they’d had that thought over the past twenty-four hours, but it was on a near-constant loop in their head. When that wasn’t in their head, they were busy worrying about their friends and their sister. They were fourteen. They weren’t supposed to be worrying about things like this. 

 

“Mr. Armstrong got the post taken down,” Raya said. “Thankfully.”

 

“It shouldn’t have been up in the first place,” Lindsey said. “I hope Melanie--and whoever she worked with to get it up there--knows she’s an absolute piece of shit.”

 

“She probably thinks she’s some kind of feminist warrior for this,” Gee said. She frowned. “TERFs are the worst.”

 

“Hell yeah,” Lindsey said. 

 

The first bell rang then, and Mikey excused themself to go to their first period class. They didn’t want to be in school again. They wanted it to be the weekend already, so that they could put their headphones in--the nice ones that blocked out all other noise--and hide under their covers for the whole day. Mikey didn’t want to deal with people. They were tired. 

 

“You look like shit,” Frank noted when Mikey sat down beside him. 

 

“I feel like shit,” Mikey said. They looked Frank over. “Not that you look much better than I do. Did you not sleep last night or something? You look like you’re about to fucking die.”

 

“I was up with Gee,” Frank said. “Talking her down from a panic attack.”

 

Mikey slumped down. They had had no idea. They should have known, since Gee was their sister and the two of them shared a room and everything. 

 

Frank reached out and put his hand on Mikey’s arm. “Hey, don’t take it personally. She didn’t want you to know about it. Or to worry about her, but I figured that’d be happening no matter what.”

 

He had a point. Mikey worried about Gee a lot. They wanted to ask Frank what Gee had been freaking out about, but they didn’t. The bell had already rung. And if Gee didn’t want Mikey to worry, then they were going to try and not do that. Mikey had a tendency to overthink things; this was probably Gee’s way of telling them that this was one thing they didn’t have to overthink about. 

 

Frank and Mikey went their seperate ways at the end of class, with Frank promising to hang out at drama rehearsal with Gee. Mikey was pretty sure he was doing that for their sister’s sake, but it was nice to know that they’d be seeing Frank again. Frank was kind of awesome. 

 

They settled into the seat near the back of the classroom. Mikey could feel their classmates’ eyes on them, but they ignored the tingling sensation of being watched and pulled out their phone. 

 

Someone tapped Mikey on the shoulder. Mikey pulled out an earbud and looked up to see a girl they’d never talked to before looking down at them. She had a curious look on her face, like she was trying to figure Mikey out just by staring them down. 

 

Mikey swallowed. “Hi?”

 

“You’re Michelle Way, right?” she asked. Mikey wanted to roll their eyes, but they didn’t. This girl had been in class with Mikey for almost a year and she didn’t know who Mikey was or that they went by Mikey, not Michelle. 

 

Mikey nodded. “Yeah?”

 

The girl leaned against the desk beside Mikey and hunched over so that they were close to each other. She whispered, “so, like, don’t take this the wrong way, but did your brother ever, like, touch you? I saw the thing on Facebook before it got taken down and I mean… most sex offenders start with their own siblings or kids.”

 

Mikey looked up at her, not sure how disgusted they looked but sure it was pretty damn intense. Their nose twitched. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

 

“Look, if you don’t want to talk about it--”

 

“My  _ sister _ is not a fucking  _ sex offender _ !” Mikey said. They were half screaming, half holding back tears. They took a shaky breath. “Stop acting like you care. You didn’t even know my name until I told you.”

 

“Mikey, Jessica, is there a problem?” the teacher asked. Jessica opened her mouth, probably to say some dumbass saviour bullshit, but Mikey grabbed their bags and stood up first. They told the teacher that there was nothing wrong (other than Jessica being a damn liar) and headed towards the door. The teacher cut them off, though, putting a hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “Clearly, there is something wrong, if you’re trying to storm out of my classroom. I’ll set up a meeting with the guidance counselor for the two of you, but for now, you have to stay in class.”

 

“I don’t need--” Mikey said, their voice choking up and dying on them. They swallowed. “I don’t. I need… please let me go.”

 

“Whatever’s bothering you can wait until class is over,” the teacher said, clearly unaware of the fact that Mikey was inches from a mental breakdown. “This is a learning environment, not a drama class. Now go sit down.”

 

Mikey bit down hard on their tongue and did what they were told. They didn’t hear anything that was being said in class, because they were trying not to fucking cry, and they felt like their face was on fire. They also didn’t feel like they had a body any more, and the only parts of them that were still real was their face. 

 

Mikey bolted when the bell finally rang, and ignored Jessica trying to say something to them. They needed air. They needed to be able to scream or cry or  _ something _ in peace. They were headed back down to the drama hall bathroom, because they knew that would be quiet if nothing else. 

 

“Whoa, Mikey, watch out,” Lindsey said, reaching out to stop Mikey from slamming into it’s art portfolio. It looked down at Mikey with a frown on its face. “Hey, are you okay?”

 

“No,” Mikey said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

“Shit, I’m sorry man,” Lindsey said. It adjusted it’s grip on it’s portfolio. “Do you want to come hang out in the art room? I can get my teacher to write you a pass.”

 

“I guess,” Mikey said. They still wanted to go scream somewhere, but there was a darkroom in the art hall if they got too frustrated. Photography kids didn’t care. Mikey had heard from Gee that weird shit happened in the darkroom and most people just went with it. 

 

It was strange to be hanging out with just Lindsey, though. Mikey thought that Lindsey was cool but they’d never hung out with only Lindsey. It carried itself with a sense of badassery that Mikey had never noticed before, and the longer Mikey walked beside it, the more confident they felt about things. Sure, Melanie had fucked everything over, but that didn’t mean Mikey couldn’t fix shit. Mikey could totally fix shit, and put all the transphobes in their place. Hell, Mikey could go find Jessica and tell her where to shove it if they wanted to. 

 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Lindsey spat. It set its art portfolio against a display sculpture and then slowly took off its backpack. 

 

“I go here,” Melanie said. She was standing in the doorway that lead to the outside, holding a couple of paintbrushes in her hand. Mikey could see a group of girls outside, painting on a chair. Melanie crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that an issue?”

 

“It fucking is,” Lindsey said. It stepped forward. Mikey imagined a panther prowling up towards a hawk. “When you think you can push your shitty ass agenda on the whole school and put my friends in danger.”

 

“Really? You’re still up in arms about that?” Melanie said, rolling her eyes. “I’m just telling the truth. You wouldn’t want a bunch of men in your space, would you?”

 

“No. But I also don’t want shitty people like you in them,” Lindsey said. The panther was fucking pissed. 

 

“You’re brainwashed. All you libfems are,” Melanie said. She either didn’t notice how pissed off Lindsey was, or she didn’t realise how dangerous it was when pissed off. 

 

“Oh really?” Lindsey said. It stepped forward again. “Well, here’s some information for you. A woman can be whoever she wants, and calling innocent people rapists does nothing but hurt the feminist movement. Doesn’t matter what kind of feminist you call yourself; if you start running around calling everyone a predator, all you do is destroy shit. You’re not a feminist, or an advocate for lesbianism. All you are is a shitty fucking liar.”

 

“God, what is  _ wrong  _ with you?” Melanie said. She looked like she wanted to throw her paintbrushes at Lindsey. Mikey wanted to see her try. “I’m trying to help women like us! You--you transgenderists, all you do is make it more dangerous to be a woman!”

 

“You wrote that post, didn’t you?” Lindsey said. It was nearly circling Melanie. “You brought in those girls, you got everyone’s names, and you outed them all. That was you, wasn’t it?”

 

“I don’t have to talk to you,” Melanie said. “You’re a fake lesbian anyway. You’d suck a cock if you thought it was a girl on the other end.”

 

“Admit it,” Lindsey said.  _ Hiss, hiss, mother fucker _ , Mikey thought. 

 

“Leave me alone, you freak,” Melanie said, and finally walked back out through the door she’d come in through. 

 

Lindsey didn’t let the door close. It swung out it’s fist, colliding against the door with a sharp bang. The muscles in Lindsey’s arm rippled. Mikey couldn’t see it’s face, but they could imagine the rage. Lindsey unclenched it’s fist, splaying it’s fingers out against the glass. “What’d you call me?”

 

“You heard me,” Melanie said. “I don’t like to put women down, but you’ve already done that to yourself by siding with the she-males. I wouldn’t have had to have done anything if you, or if anyone in that disgusting club, had just listened to me.”

 

“I don’t listen to bullshit,” Lindsey said. It swung the door open and crossed the threshold, outside. Mikey was still in the hall, without a late pass or a good reason to be out of class. They looked over their shoulder. No teachers. They peered into the art class across the hall. The teacher was showing something to the students, who were all watching intently. Mikey wasn’t surprised. Art kids were notorious for getting way too engrossed in their projects. 

 

Mikey dropped their backpack beside Lindsey’s and walked over to the door to let themself out. 

 

“--hell is wrong with you?!” one of the girls was screeching as Mikey came through the door. Lindsey had tossed a thing of black paint onto the chair the girls had been working on, covering the shittily drawn vaginas that probably represented womanhood or whatever. Mikey realised that the screaming girl was one of Melanie’s friends from the other club meeting. Taylor. She looked pretty popular, but she had black paint on her shirt. 

 

“You bitch!” Taylor screeched, balling her hands into fists. “You ugly dykes are all the same! You’re the reason no one wants to be a feminist.”

 

“Nah, that’s the result of people like you who want to knit ugly pussy caps instead of doing shit to help women in need,” Lindsey said, and set down the paint. It turned to Melanie. “There’s your fucking art piece, by the way. A woman shouldn’t be tied to her genitals.”

 

“Fuck you,” Melanie spat. “I should have put you on that list, since you want to be a she-male so badly.”

 

Lindsey’s face split into a witch’s smirk. Mikey shivered. They didn’t believe in magic, but they believed in Lindsey, and it was a force of it’s own. Lindsey cracked it’s knuckles. “And that was just the confession I was waiting for. Eat pavement, you fucking TERF.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	91. ALL COPS ARE BITCHES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot that the best nohic chat title happens in this chapter. That means that this chapter has secured it's place as the second best chapter in the fic and cannot be kicked out.
> 
> The best chapter hasn't even been written yet but trust me. U fucks will know what it is when we get there.

Lindsey swung its fist back and hit Melanie square in the face. It then tossed it’s phone to Mikey, telling them to take it to Mr. Armstrong. Mikey looked down at the phone, saw that Lindsey had had a voice recording going for the past ten minutes, and stopped the recording before tossing the phone into their pocket and running inside. 

 

Taylor was right behind them, her kitten heels clacking on the linoleum floor. Mikey glanced over their shoulder to see that she had a scared, angry look on her face. She was Melanie’s link to the Facebook group. She was one of the admins, because she was the cute popular girl who everyone was supposed to love. And Mikey was holding the evidence that proved otherwise. 

 

“Shit,” Mikey muttered, and picked up their pace. They weren’t worried about losing Taylor in the school because the school wasn’t big enough for that. They just had to get up to Mr. Armstrong’s room before she caught up to them and took Lindsey’s phone. 

 

Mikey hoped Lindsey was kicking Melanie’s ass. 

 

Mikey knocked on Mr. Armstrong’s door, and then, without waiting for someone to get up and answer it, they let themself in and slammed the door shut. The whole class was looking up at them, confused and a little frightened. 

 

“Can I help you?” Mr. Armstrong asked. He looked frazzled. He was also holding a miniature tank in his hands. 

 

“I have something to show you?” Mikey said. They looked down at Lindsey’s phone. “It can wait until the end of the class period, though. I’m sorry for interrupting. Can I just… take a seat?”

 

“If you promise not to cause any more interruptions, sure,” Mr. Armstrong said. “But I’m not writing you an excuse for missing class.”

 

“That’s okay,” Mikey said, and grabbed a seat in the middle of the classroom. They got a sheet of paper and a pencil from the kid next to them, in case Taylor came by to try and find them. She hadn’t shown up yet, so maybe she didn’t know what class Mikey had ended up in. Mikey was hoping for that. 

 

**mijey** : to whoever sees lindsey next: i’ve got ur phone and i’ll give it to mr armstrong @ end of class

**momfriend** : why do u have lindsey’s phone

**mijey** : long story

**mijey** : i’ll tell you whenever we meet up next

**momfriend** : great. now im worried u 2 killed someone

**hurleyxvx** : please no murder on school grounds

**mijey** : there was no murder

**hurleyxvx** : ok good

**hurleyxvx** : bc while i know how to sneak someone out of jail i don’t want to have to actually do it

**pebter** : shawshank redemption doesn’t count andrew

**hurleyxvx** : shut p

**pebter** : shut p

**hurleyxvx** : dont make fun of my spelling

**hurleyxvx** : u fuck

**pebter** : p

**momfriend** : why are you like this

**pebter** : p

 

- **pebter** changed the name of the chat to **p** -

 

**mijey** : dollar in the jar just so you’ll stop

**hurleyxvx** : thank fuck

**vampiregee** : uhh remind me to look out the window more in art class

**mijey** : is it winning?

**vampiregee** : mikey how the fuck do you know what’s going on arent u upstairs right now????

**mijey** : i was there when it started

**hurleyxvx** : wait what the fuck is happening

**vampiregee** : well it looks like lindsey is about to go kill bill on melanie

**hurleyxvx** : shit

**hurleyxvx** : hell yeah lindsey i guess

**vampiregee** : IT JUST DROP KICKED MELANIE INTO THE GRASS

**pebter** : shit someoen get joe theyd love this

**pebter** : wait i kno where they are hold on

**hurleyxvx** : PETE NO

**pebter** : @fuck_ashleys_mom CHECK CHAT

**pebter** : andy im not going to walk into joe’s class and be like dude theres a fight ur lesbian is kicking ass that would be weird

**hurleyxvx** : you’ve done worse

**pebter** : tru

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i can see it from my class kind of

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : p much everyone by the window is watching

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : the dude in front of me is filming it on his snapchat

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i have no idea how the teacher is clueless

**vampiregee** : yo did u see that

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : YELL HEAH I DID

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : LINDSEY YOU BADASS

**mijey** : im mad im missing out

**mijey** : joe tell the guy to add me on sc so i can see his story

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : he was confused but he did it

**mijey** : sweet

**mijey** : i kno what im doing when i get home today

**vampiregee** : o shit

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : RUN LINDSE

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : *Y

**vampiregee** : O SHIT

**momfriend** : what the fuck is happening????????

**momfriend** : tell me melanie didn’t hit back

**vampiregee** : i mean she did but lindsey is better apparently

**vampiregee** : there’s a cop

**vampiregee** : lindsey is fucking BOLTING from the school

**mijey** : RUN 

**mijey** : if it had its phone i’d tell it to head towards the water tower but alas we are all useless

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : google how much is bail money

**hurleyxvx** : why are any of you allowed outside without adult supervision

**pebter** : i have lawyer parents i can help lindsey if the cops catch it

**pebter** : also in case anyone forgot: acab

**hurleyxvx** : yep

**hurleyxvx** : i mean dont start fights on school grounds but uhh, acab anyway

 

- **pebter** changed the name of the chat to  **ALL COPS ARE BITCHES** -

 

**hurleyxvx** : ……….why am i surprised

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : O NO

**vampiregee** : SHIT lindsey and melanie are both being dragged into the school

**vampiregee** : and no one is paying attention anymore

**vampiregee** : public school is wild

**mijey** : the class period’s almost over oh man

**mijey** : that was a long fight

**vampiregee** : lindsey’s face is bleeding but melanie looks worse

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : nice

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : pete get ready to call ur parents to come do the lawyer thing

 

The bell rang then, and Mikey went straight to Mr. Armstrong with Lindsey’s phone. They’d been keeping it open throughout the class period with the constant texting, so they didn’t have to try and guess Lindsey’s passcode. 

 

“What did you want me to see?” Mr. Armstrong asked. 

 

“Lindsey got Melanie to confess about making the Facebook post,” Mikey said. “And it’s on their phone. Do you want me to send it to you, or do you want to hold onto their phone?”

 

“Is Lindsey okay with me keeping their phone?” Mr. Armstrong asked. 

 

“They gave it to me?” Mikey said. “So, uh… yeah? I guess?”

 

“Alright,” Mr. Armstrong said. “I’ll listen to it during my grading period. Is there a way to keep their phone open so that I won’t have to hack into it?”

 

“Uh…” Mikey said. Lindsey had a Samsung phone. Mikey didn’t know how to work Samsung phones. “Probably? I don’t have a Samsung.”

 

“I’ll check online,” Mr. Armstrong said. “You should probably head to your next class, though, so that you don’t get into any more trouble.”

 

There was a knock on the door, followed by a woman in a suit leaning into the classroom. “Mr. Armstrong?”

 

“Yep?” He said, leaning back in his chair so that he could see the woman around Mikey. 

 

“Have you seen Michelle Way? She’s one of your students and we’re trying to find her,” the woman said. Mr. Armstrong looked at Mikey like a disappointed parent would look at their child. Mikey tried to keep their face neutral. 

 

Mr. Armstrong shook his head. “Amazing. Mikey’s right here.”

 

“Miss Way, if you’ll come with me, then,” the woman said, crossing into the room. Mikey looked at Mr. Armstrong, but he was still giving them the disappointed parent look. Mikey supposed they’d earned it, since most of what they’d done today was get in trouble or break school rules. They’d yelled at another student, skipped class, and run around the school with a phone that wasn’t theirs. It was for a good reason, but Mr. Armstrong didn’t know that. 

 

Mikey followed the woman to the front office. They weren’t surprised to see Melanie and Lindsey there, but they were surprised to see Taylor standing by the principal’s desk, wiping away fake tears. She looked up when Mikey came in and pointed at them. “There! That’s the girl who stole the phone!”

 

“What?” Mikey blurted out. They looked at the woman who had brought them in here. “I didn’t steal anything.”

 

“Show us what’s in your pockets then,” the woman said. “Because Miss Swift said you stole these girls phones and then tried to run away with them.”

 

Mikey pulled out their own phone, as well as a crumpled pack of gum they’d had in their other pocket, and a tube of chapstick. That was all they had on them. Their backpack was still in the art hall. 

 

“She must have put them in her backpack,” Taylor said, wiping at her face without messing up her mascara. “I wasn’t right behind her. I could have missed it.”

 

“Where’s your backpack?” the woman asked. 

 

“In the art hall,” Mikey said. “But I didn’t take anyone’s phone. Lindsey gave me theirs.”

 

“So you admit you had one of these girls’ phones?” the woman said. She turned to one of the two policemen standing behind Lindsey and Melanie. “Go find her backpack. Bring it back here, we’ll see if she’s telling the truth.”

 

“I didn’t steal anyone’s phone,” Mikey insisted. “And Lindsey  _ gave _ me their phone, to go take to a teacher.”

 

“I did,” Lindsey said. “I didn’t want it to get broken.”

 

“You shouldn’t be talking,” the principal snapped at it. “You’re in enough trouble already. Be lucky we haven’t contacted your college yet.”

 

Lindsey crossed it’s arms over its chest but didn’t say anything else. Mikey wondered how much of this it had planned out beforehand. Lindsey was smart. It probably knew what it was doing better than everyone in this room. 

 

The policeman came back with two backpacks, Lindsey’s and Mikey’s. “There was a folder full of art projects, but I didn’t see a phone in there.”

 

“Alright,” the woman said. “Check them both.”

 

The policeman dug through Mikey’s bag first, and pulled out a rose gold iPhone 7s plus. It had a clear case on it, and Mikey had never seen it before. They had no idea how it had gotten into their backpack, but they could figure it out. 

 

Taylor gasped. She was a shitty actress. “That’s my phone!”

 

“It’s ugly,” Lindsey said, looking right at Taylor. “And I saw you drop it into Mikey’s bag. I’m not dumb.”

 

“Why would I do that?” Taylor said. “I’m a good person.”

 

“Check the cameras,” Lindsey said. It turned to the principal. “I’m serious. Check the cameras in the art hall. Mikey had my phone, because I gave it to them, but they never touched Taylor’s. Or Melanie. Melanie still has her phone.”

 

“No I don’t,” Melanie said. 

 

“It fell out of your pocket when I pushed you,” Lindsey said. “It’s in the field in the back of the school.”

 

“Check the back of the school,” the woman said. She didn’t sound like she cared too much about Melanie’s phone. She sighed. “And have someone check the cameras, I suppose. I thought girls were less violent.”

 

“They are,” Lindsey said. It wasn’t a girl. It had a damn good point. 

 

The policeman came back again with Melanie’s phone. The screen was cracked heavily, but it still worked and Melanie admitted that it was hers. The four of them stayed in there while the security cameras were checked, and eventually someone came back and said that Taylor had planted her own phone, and that there was footage showing Lindsey throwing it’s phone to Mikey and Taylor chasing after them a few moments later. 

 

There was also footage of Lindsey throwing paint onto Taylor and Melanie’s chair, and then punching Melanie in the face, but Mikey got the feeling that Lindsey wasn’t trying to get out of that. 

 

“Well, Michelle, we’re sorry about the confusion,” the principal said. “But next time, don’t act so suspicious, and don’t go hiding in people’s classrooms. It doesn’t look good.”

 

“Okay,” Mikey said. “Can I go to class now?”

 

“Yes,” the principal said, and scribbled a note for them. “Get all of your stuff, and go on. I don’t want you to miss any more class than you already have today.”

 

“Are you going to call my parents?” Mikey asked. 

 

“It’s school policy,” the principal said. “And you were skipping class, even though you didn’t steal anything.”

 

Mikey was okay with that. They could explain the skipping class thing to their parents when they got home. Gee would probably be freaking out, but she was easier to console than their parents. Gee would probably just call them a dumbass and hug them before moving on. Gee was reasonable when it came to things like this. 

 

They grabbed their things and headed off to class. Taylor, Melanie, and Lindsey were still there, but there was nothing Mikey could do about that. They wanted to defend Lindsey, but they knew it knew what it was doing, and they didn’t want to get in the way of that. Mikey didn’t give a shit about Taylor or Melanie though. They could fucking rot for all Mikey cared. 

 

**mijey** : got called to the principals office but im not in trouble #yeet

**momfriend** : i’m glad but also dollar in the jar

**spooncer** : wait for what

**mijey** : i got accused of stealing a phone but lindsey is secretly meant to be a secret agent and got me out of it

**mijey** : i have no idea if its going to get itself out of trouble but we’ll find out i guess

**mijey** : mr armstrong still has its phone tho

**momfriend** : damn this is a lot

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i just volunteered to go make copies im gonna try to listen in for you guys

**spooncer** : joe ur a true ally

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : ally for whom im gay and trans my guy

**spooncer** : uhhh lesbian ally

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : hell yea

**pebter** : wait so mikey what happened

**mijey** : melanie and ashley got into a fight one of melanie’s friends planted her phone in my backpack to try to get me in trouble lindsey called her out on it mr armstrong is about to drop a truth bomb on the entire school lindsey is a badass melanie and her friend are probably going to get their asses handed to them i hope

**pebter** : man i missed out

**pebter** : today was a day

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : im in the office now i can see lindsey and melanie

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : and a random girl??? blonde?? Generic?????

**mijey** : taylor

**mijey** : melanie’s friend

**bihalsey** : waitttttttttt i know taylor

**bihalsey** : shes a bitch

**mijey** : aware

**bihalsey** : no i mean like… MegaBitch

**mijey** : still aware

**bihalsey** : she’s rich and her parents donate a fuckton of money to the school

**bihalsey** : she’s also on the student govt thing and on the faceeeee

**bihalsey** :OH

**bihalsey** : O F UCK

**bihalsey** : EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE

**mijey** : she’s the connection t the facebook page

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : she’s the reason the post even went up????????

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : o shiT

**bihalsey** : kick her ass joe

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : do u think lindsey knows sign language

**pebter** : joe do u kno sign language

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : shit no i do not

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : maybe it can read lips hold on

**momfriend** : joe stop talking to lindsey and tell us what the fuck is happening

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : well parents are being called

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : p sure lindsey’s getting suspended

**momfriend** : that sucks but im not surprised

**pebter** : what if it gets expelled? i mean lindseys a senior……

**momfriend** : SHIT

**momfriend** : what if it isn’t allowed to graduate?????

**mijey** : stop coming up with horrible outcomes and let joe update us

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : taylor is crying now

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : cry away u little bitch its what u get

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : i can hear someone talking in spanish in the other room so i think that’s melanie’s parents but i don’t speak spanish AT all

**hatrick** : it’s close to french 

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : but its not french

**hatrick** : true. valid. 

 

Mikey glanced up from their phone. They felt strange now, but a good kind of strange. Justice was being served. It wasn’t conventional, but it was effective, and hopefully Melanie had learned to leave them and their friends alone. Mikey didn't want to have to deal with anything else. They just wanted to finish this semester in peace, and not have to worry about their friends being outed or kicked out of their homes. 

 

Mikey just wanted a normal high school experience, for themself and for the people they cared about. That was all. They didn’t need anything iconic, or something that would make a great movie. They just wanted normal. That would be enough. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it!!


	92. Math is Homophobic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is appropriate because I spent all day doing math homework and now I want to take three Advil and Die. (Not, like, actually die. Just... not do math ever again kind of die)

**zoid** : alright so update

 **momfriend** : oh this’ll be good

 **pebter** : did u die

 **zoid** : well i’m still in this chat so im gonna go with no i did not die

 **zoid** : good news is melanie got suspended for two weeks for the fight and taylor got three days of detention for planting the phone and trying to throw mikey under the bus

 **pebter** : bad news?? do we have to break u out of jail

 **momfriend** : i dont think they allow cellphones in jail

 **zoid** : bad news is i have out of school suspension for six weeks since i started it and “destroyed” an art project

 **zoid** : also i have to do 30 hours of community service but jokes on them i like helping people

 **pebter** : wait whats ur community service

 **zoid** : i have to work at the public library for 10 hours and the other 20 are cleaning parks and staying after school to clean it as well

 **zoid** : not actually “staying” but like… once schools out i have to go in and help the janitors

 **momfriend** : is that legal? since ur still 17

 **zoid** : apparently

 **spooncer** : can u still do after school stuff

 **zoid** : uhhhh idk

 **zoid** : i think i can do the musical since i’ll be back in school before its shown and its too late to recast but probably not gsa

 **spooncer** : well that sucks ass

 **zoid** : ur telling me

 **zoid** : my mom’s talking about just pulling me out of school for the rest of the semester and having me finish online

 **momfriend** : is /that/ allowed

 **zoid** : apparently

 **zoid** : i mean it makes sense since i’ll be coming back in like… may and graduation is june 1

 **pebter** : fucking wild

 **pebter** : hope melanie dies

 

“Mikey, Spencer, please pay attention so you know when to come in,” Veronica said. She was getting more and more stressed the closer they got to May.

 

“Sorry,” Mikey said, and put their phone down. They glared at Pete, who was still on theirs but hadn’t been called out on it. Probably because Pete knew how to act like they knew what was going on even if they didn’t. Mikey was a little jealous.

 

“Alright, from the top of the scene,” Veronica said. “And Spencer, remember to project. The people in the back need to know what you’re saying just as much as the people in the front.”

 

Spencer nodded. Veronica was on stage, playing Brendon’s role since she was still missing. Mikey wanted answers. Mikey wanted to know where the hell Brendon was, and why she hadn’t responded to any of their texts. It was stupid; surely someone knew what the hell was going on with her.

 

Spencer and Dallon were equally put off, but they’d asked as many questions as they could, and no one was telling them anything either.

 

Mikey was glad that Josh didn’t have any scenes with the rest of them. He and Tyler were hovering alone in their corner, not talking to the rest of the GSA. Mikey wondered if Tyler secretly agreed with Josh, and with Melanie, about trans people. If he did, it was a good thing he was keeping his distance. Mikey didn’t want to deal with transphobes, no matter how they presented themselves.

 

Melanie wasn’t at rehearsal, thankfully, but she had a tiny part as one of Reno’s angels so no one missed her in the first place. Ashley was also an angel, and she’d brought bagel bites to rehearsal, so she was living up to her name.

 

Mikey grabbed a bagel bite and their water bottle while they weren’t needed and sat down beside Ashley. “This is a lot.”

 

“You’re telling me,” Ashley said. She let out a long breath. “Josh keeps trying to talk to me about it.”

 

“What’s he saying?” Mikey asked. In their humble opinion, Josh needed to fuck the hell off. They didn’t want him around Pete or any of their other friends.

 

“I don’t know,” Ashley said, and popped a bagel bite into her mouth. “Every time he starts talking I turn my music up and walk off. I figure he’ll eventually get the message.”

 

“You’re underestimating how stupid boys can be,” Mikey said, and Ashley whispered a defeated “I know” as Josh got up and started making his way over to the two of them. Mikey stood up, and Ashley followed them, but they couldn’t actually leave the theatre. Veronica might actually kill them if they tried.

 

Josh was still following, with a kicked puppy look on his face. Ashley grimaced and took Mikey’s hand, pulling them to the back row of seats. She whispered sorry before turning and kissing them. Mikey kissed back, opening one eye to make sure that Josh was leaving. He was. Once he was far enough away, Ashley pushed Mikey back and wiped her mouth. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

 

“You got lipstick on me,” Mikey said. They rubbed their mouth, but it wasn’t coming off.

 

“Sorry. It’s Beauty Bakerie. It stays on through oral, which is great for sex but not for making Josh go away,” Ashley said. She pulled a tissue out of the pocket of her jeans. “Here. Try this.”

 

Mikey scrubbed their face, and by the time they needed to get back on stage, all remnants of Ashley’s black lipstick were gone.

 

“Did you kiss Ashley?” Dallon whispered between takes.

 

“Josh was trying to talk to us,” Mikey whispered back.

 

Dallon frowned. “Why do we hate Josh now?”

 

“Uh,” Mikey said, because Pete was right there. “Long story.”

 

“...okay?” Dallon whispered. They went back to acting, as did Mikey, and the two of them pretended the exchange had never happened.

 

Rehearsal ended at eight thirty, and Mikey found Gee in the back of the theatre and told her it was time to go home. Gee was a little dazed, because she’d brought her laptop and tablet and had been working on the Killjoys comic for the past five hours. Staring at a screen for that long made most people space the fuck out.

 

“Can we go by Raya’s house?” Mikey asked while they were walking through the parking lot.

 

Gee raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

 

“Dunno,” Mikey said. “Just feels like the thing to do.”

 

“It’s almost nine,” Gee said. “I think her parents would hate us if we showed up now.”

 

Mikey sighed. “Fine. But we should go hang out at her house eventually. We haven’t done it in forever.”

 

“Sure,” Gee said. “But remind me when it’s not a school night and I’ve started some of my homework.”

 

“Well, that’s your own fault. You had five hours,” Mikey said. They hadn’t gotten any of their work done either, but they’d been too busy to get focused. They didn’t mind staying up late to get it all finished, because they could text Frank and he would help out as much as he could.

 

The drive home was quiet, and Mikey leaned back in their seat while they listened to the music on the radio. Their parents still hadn’t said anything about the Facebook post, and Mikey was starting to think that maybe Gee had gotten lucky. Maybe their parents hadn’t seen it at all, and didn’t know what was going on at school. Mikey hoped that that was it, and that their parents being bad at technology had saved Gee from being outed against her will. It was enough of a miracle that their parents had accepted their kids being queer. Mikey didn’t want to risk telling them that their kids were also trans.

 

Their parents didn’t say anything about it, and Gee and Mikey grabbed their dinner before joining the rest of the family in the living room. Jeopardy was on in the background, and occasionally someone would offer up an answer. Sometimes, they got it right.

 

Mikey wasn’t paying attention. They finished their spaghetti and set the plate down before pulling out their homework and balancing it on their knees. Gee wasn’t doing her homework, even though Mikey knew she had some. Whatever. Gee’s grades weren’t Mikey’s problem. She could deal with that on her own.

 

They were tired after they’d finished all of their history homework, and since the only other homework they had was math, they decided to go to bed. They could do the math tomorrow morning. It was only ten problems, and Mikey understood math this year. Usually, they had no idea what was going on. This year, between Ray’s notes and having a teacher who taught too slowly, Mikey was on top of it.

 

 **mijey** : can u be gay and be good at math

 **spooncer** : no

 **mijey** : i didn’t ask u

 **bihalsey** : yeah Jeff no one fucking asked you

 **mijey** : was that a fuckng cody ko reference

 **bihalsey** : omg yea u know him

 **mijey** : i have his merch.

 **bihalsey** : i have never seen you wear it

 **mijey** : yes and that is because it says "piss" in bright ass blue letters so i cant wear it at school

 **mijey** : but back to the question. math and gayness. can they co exist

 **spooncer** : i still say no but apparently im my dad now so idk if my opinion matters

 **bihalsey** : ????

 **spooncer** : my dad’s name is jeff

 **mijey** : wild

 **pebter** : im pretty sure math is inherently heterosexual

 **pebter** : unfortunately i don’t know any straight people so i can’t confirm

 **bball_ace** : zach likes math

 **pebter** : I FORGOT WE HAD A STRAIGHT PERSON

 **bball_ace** : i’m not straight tho

 **bball_ace** : can’t be straight and ace

 **pebter** : i meant ur brother u fuck

 **pebter** : he’s a boring ole heterosexual who likes math and thus proves the fact that u cant be gay a nd like math

 **bihalsey** : pete zach is literally one person

 **bihalsey** : isn’t that like… statistically irrelevant

 **p_wheezie** : i wouldn’t know bc im gay and cant do math

 **p_wheezie** : but he’s enough in my book i don’t actually want to talk to straight people

 

“I thought you were going to sleep,” Gee said as she came in through the door.

 

Mikey locked their phone and turned over onto their back. “I was. But then I thought of a question to ask the group chat.”

 

“Math is a straight people thing,” Gee said. She did jazz hands. “Ta-da. Problem solved.”

 

Mikey frowned. “Are you okay? You seem upset?”

 

“Just… _Tyler_ ,” Gee said. Normally, that would make sense. Tyler could get annoying, but he hadn’t said anything in the group chat to warrant Gee being annoyed with him. So maybe it was something he’d said outside of the group chat, or to Gee personally.

 

Mikey sat up, frowning harder. “Did he say something to you?”

 

“No, it’s just--never mind,” Gee said, shaking her head. “I don’t want to get into it right now. I deal with enough discourse shit on tumblr.”

 

Mikey let it go. They didn’t know enough about the ace discourse stuff to have an opinion on it, but in their mind, it didn’t matter if ace people and aro people were LGBT or not. They didn’t have anywhere else to go, and from what Mikey had seen with Andy and Tyler (and Josh, before he’d turned into a giant douche bag), ace and aro people dealt with similar things to LGBT people. It made sense for them to just… combine forces, or whatever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	93. anything goes the mucisal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi please watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrZfhTYYOdc&t=3s 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is a bit short. I'm also in the middle of making a Buzzfeed Unsolved parody video because apparently that's the kind of thing I do instead of really writing. Yeet.

**spooncer** : oh yeah i forgot to mention this but ryan’s coming back today

**pebter** : RYAB

**pebter** : tell them i said hi

**spooncer** : pete ur literally going to be in the same building as them

**mijey** : are we adding them to the group chat? and also are we adding in gabe/travie (willow said she didn’t feel comfortable after what happened with melanie)

**spooncer** : that sucks :// willow deserves to be here too ://

**momfriend** : maybe i should make a trans only channel?

**mijey** : raya we’re all trans

**mijey** : except for like 3 people

**momfriend** : ok good point

**momfriend** : and yeah we can add travie and gabe, and ryan once they come to a meeting

**momfriend** : has anyone heard from sarah btw?

**spooncer** : i think brendon was the only one with her number

**momfriend** : shit

**momfriend** : i’ll have lindsey ask her about gsa stuff at drama rehearsal i guess

**spooncer** : or i could

**spooncer** : since we’re all in the mucisal anyway

**spooncer** : *musical

**mijey** : nice pun

**spooncer** : thanks ;)

 

- **mijey** changed the name of the group to  **anything goes the mucisal** -

 

**mijey** : spencer that means u and all the other cis have to drop out

**spooncer** : well Fuck

 

Mikey turned their phone over and went back to their math homework. They were sitting in homeroom, alone with only Mr. Armstrong and another kid who was watching YouTube videos without his earbuds. The math homework was easy, thankfully, because Mikey didn’t want to stress over it or explain to Mr. James why they hadn’t done it. Mr. James was still calling them Michelle.

 

Frank and Ashley showed up a little after seven. Frank had two Red Bulls, and offered one to Mikey. “Are you seriously doing math homework?”

 

“It’s the stuff due today,” Mikey said, and cracked open the bottle. It tasted gross, but it made them feel more awake and they were okay with that. Mikey raised their eyebrows at Frank. “Did you already do it?”

 

“Yeah, actually,” Frank said, and sat down. 

 

Ashley sat on his desk and opened her own Red Bull. She crossed her legs and pulled her skirt down. She’d gotten her hair cut, and the short sides were starting to curl up. “You know you guys can do your homework at home, right? Also, Mikey, how long have you been watching Cody Ko?”

 

“Since, like, this summer. It took me months to convince my mom and dad to let me get any merch though,” Mikey said. They set their homework aside, since they only had two questions left. “What about you?”

 

“Wait, who’s Cody Ko?” Frank asked. 

 

Ashley looked over her shoulder at him. “He’s a YouTuber. He used to do Vines before it got shut down. And I started watching him when he started his YouTube channel, because I’m a real fucking fan and I followed him off of Vine.”

 

“I didn’t use Vine enough,” Mikey said. They finished their two final math problems and then joined back into Ashley and Frank’s conversation. Ashley was telling Frank about Cody Ko, and Mikey added in their own opinions when asked. They weren’t a die-hard fan of the guy, but he was funny and sarcastic and he wasn’t obnoxious or cringey like a lot of other YouTubers were becoming. 

 

Ashley left before the bell rang, barely, and Frank and Mikey settled in for the lesson of the day. It was Thursday, which meant they had a quiz tomorrow, but Mikey had been keeping up with their history notes so they weren’t worried. 

 

They’d joined Joe and Spener’s weight duo since Brendon was still missing in gym. It was great, because Mikey didn’t have to use the machines as much since they were switching off with two people instead of just one. They were still worried about Brendon, though. It had been two weeks since they’d last seen her. 

 

“Only two weeks?” Joe said, frowning. Ae looked at Spencer. “It’s felt way longer.”

 

“A lot’s happened,” Spencer said. He was frowning. “I still think we should have heard something by now. From someone.”

 

“We should start an investigation,” Joe said. “Maybe put up some missing posters, or whatever.”

 

Somehow, Mikey didn’t think that would work. They had no idea where Brendon was either, but they didn’t think she’d gone missing. Someone would has said something by now if she had. They knew her parents sucked, but they didn’t think her parents were so horrible that they’d let their own kid go missing and do nothing about it. 

 

Mikey helped Joe make posters on aer phone during lunch anyway. None of them had Photoshop, or knew how to edit photos, but Mikey had used their sister’s tablet enough times that they thought they knew what they were doing. It turned out that they were fucking clueless, and they couldn’t get the text to move around. 

 

“Maybe it’s the app,” Patrick suggested. 

 

“I’m not spending money on an app I’ll only use once,” Joe said. 

 

“It’s for Brendon, though,” Pete said. “Isn’t she worth at least two dollars?”

 

“I don’t have two dollars,” Joe said, and leaned further over Mikey’s shoulder to see what they were doing. Frank and Andy were letting the other four figure their shit out. Patrick kept leaning in and then not giving Mikey advice, and Pete was being entirely useless. Joe gave Mikey some space again. “Unless you want to download PhotoShop on your phone for me.”

 

“Why would I put it on my phone?” Pete said. “You’re the one trying to make missing posters.”

 

“Hey, it’s something,” Joe shrugged. “Not like we can throw on trench coats, call ourselves detectives, and march into the Urie’s house to find their daughter, you know.”

 

“I’d do it,” Frank said. He stuck a carrot in his mouth and put on a really bad mobster accent. “Look, Mr. and Ms, Urie, we don’t wanna cause any trouble ‘round here, but yer daughter’s been missing an’ people’re startin’ to get suspicious.”

 

“I’m so glad you’re not in the musical,” Andy said. 

 

Frank frowned. “I’m from New Jersey. I know how they talk.”

 

“I hope I never have to move to New Jersey then,” Andy said. He drank from his water. “Because I could not put up with that.”

 

“Do you think Ashley would know how to do this?” Joe asked. “I know she’s got that make-up test or whatever today but do you think she’d know? Maybe she’s the missing link and we can find Brendon once we get her help.”

 

“She’s not actually a manic pixie dream girl, you know,” Patrick said. She leaned over and took the phone from Mikey. “She just looks like it. And maybe we could make this work if we started with a picture of Brendon instead of trying to add one in later.”

 

“You do it,” Mikey said. They put their hands up. Digital shit sucked ass, and Mikey wanted no part in it anymore. Gee could work on the comic on her own, and Mikey would just be a cheerleader on the sidelines. Mikey could do all the social media shit, since Gee was convinced that she was bad at it, and Mikey knew what they were doing when it came to talking to strangers on the internet. 

 

“I’m a manic pixie dream girl,” Pete said. They turned to Andy. “Right?”

 

“Nah, you’re the goth girlfriend everyone on the internet talks about,” Andy said. He took a carrot from Frank and handed it over to Pete. “Unrelated, but if you’re hopelessly single when you’re thirty-five or whatever and think you’ll never find love, I’d friend-marry the shit out of you.”

 

“My hero,” Pete said. 

 

Frank gave Mikey a look, but Mikey wasn’t saying shit about Josh. That was Pete’s job, and Mikey would let them do it whenever they were ready to. Mikey didn’t control Pete.

 

“I think I got something?” Patrick said. She turned the phone around so that the rest of the table could see. It wasn’t bad, but it definitely looked like it had been made in about ten seconds. Mikey supposed it was better than nothing, especially since no one else had been able to come up with a better sign. Patrick turned the phone back around to look at it herself. “It’s… it’s not great. And I don’t know where to post it, if anywhere. I mean, what if Brendon isn’t missing and we make people freak out over nothing?”

 

“We need answers, and Frank’s detective impression sucks ass,” Joe said. “So we’re going with this.”

 

“Let’s at least run it by the group before we do anything with it,” Andy said. “In case you guys are taking it too far. Spencer and Dallon know Brendon’s parents better than we do, and if they’re, like, homeschooling Brendon or something, we don’t want to get her into even more trouble because of this.”

 

“Good point,” Joe said. “I’ll message it out and we can go from there.”

 

The bell rang, and the six of them split off to go to their next classes. Pete walked with Mikey, even though Mikey knew that their class was in a different direction. Mikey let it happen, because it was better for them to be together than to be walking around alone. School wasn’t safe, which sucked ass, but Mikey couldn’t fix it on their own. 

 

“Should I tell Andy about Josh?” Pete said. 

 

“I don’t know,” Mikey said. “He’s your platonic soulmate.”

 

Pete rolled their eyes. “That’s not at all what Andy is. We’re best friends, and we’ve grown up together, but I wouldn’t call him any kind of soulmate. He’s like a brother, if anything.”

 

“A brother who would friend-marry you,” Mikey commented. 

 

“For tax benefits,” Pete said. “He and I have talked about that before. It’s got nothing to do with interest in each other. I mean, Andy’s not into anyone, like, at all, so it couldn’t be.”

 

“Well, sexuality can be fluid, so you never know,” Mikey said. They made a face. “I don’t think Andy has a thing for you, by the way. I’m not saying that. But I mean, you guys have an intense friendship.”

 

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome,” Pete said, smiling. The two of them stopped outside of Mikey’s classroom, standing on the side of the hallway. Pete shoved their hands into the pockets of their jeans. “I’m glad things aren’t weird between us, by the way. I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

 

“Me either,” Mikey said. “And I’m sorry for fucking things up between the two of us in the first place.”

 

“It’s cool,” Pete said, and shrugged. “I should have been honest from the start. I guess that’s on both of us.”

 

“We’re both idiots,” Mikey said, grinning. Pete rolled their eyes and gently punched Mikey’s shoulder. Mikey laughed. “What? We are?”

 

“Hey, at least I’ve got enough nerve to ask my crushes out,” Pete said, and then they backed out into the crowd before Mikey could say anything. Mikey opened their mouth, but there was nothing they could say even if Pete hadn’t walked off. They hadn’t done anything about their crush on Dallon, and they weren’t going to, because Dallon had Brendon and Spencer and Mikey wasn’t going to try and get between the three of them. 

 

They walked into class and took their seat as the bell was ringing, and pulled out their phone to text Gee. 

 

-private message to  **vampiregee** -

 

**mijey** : dont ask me why but before drama rehearsal can u take me to raya’s house

**vampiregee** : well now i have to ask you why

**vampiregee** : why raya in particular

**mijey** : idk

**mijey** : weird gay vibes i guess

**vampiregee** : ok

**vampiregee** : but if veronica says anything i’m gonna act like we aren’t related so i don’t have to cover for you

**mijey** : that’s fair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	94. Brendon Returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exactly as it says: Brendon comes back. Also Gee is a furry.

Mikey didn’t mention to Raya that they and Gee were coming over. They didn’t feel the need to, since Raya would be heading straight home from school. She wasn’t in the musical, and she didn’t have any after school things going on, so Mikey knew she’d be at home. 

 

“How long are you going to be in there?” Gee asked when she pulled up next to Raya’s house. “Or do you not know that either?”

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “Just come in with me.”

 

“Fine,” Gee said, and put the car in park before following Mikey up to the door. Raya’s mom let them in, and told them to ignore the mess because she was trying to do spring cleaning and hadn’t yet finished. Mikey didn’t see any mess, but moms were weird about that stuff, so they just nodded and headed upstairs. 

 

The light was on under the guest room door. Mikey pointed it out to Gee. “That’s weird.”

 

“Ms. Toro probably just left it on on accident,” Gee said. “I mean, she said she was cleaning.”

 

“Yeah, but Raya’s entire family is like, super obsessed with not leaving lights on,” Mikey said. “Remember that one time Raya forgot you were still up in her room and just left you alone in the dark?”

 

“You’re being weird,” Gee rolled her eyes and knocked on Raya’s bedroom door. 

 

Okay, so Mikey was probably being weird about everything, but they felt weird. Like there was something there that they needed to know about, but no one was paying enough attention. They thought Gee would get it, because Gee was their sister and they could tell her anything, but apparently not. Mikey was alone in their weirdness this time, and it was annoying. 

 

Raya opened the door, and looked surprised to see Mikey and Gee. She frowned. “Um. Mikey, don’t you have drama rehearsal?”

 

“Veronica will get over it,” Mikey said. “I’ve never been late before. Also, the light’s on in your guest room.”

 

“Jesus Christ,” Gee said, rolling her eyes. “Dude, drop it. It’s nothing.”

 

“My mom must have left it on earlier,” Raya said. She looked between the two of them. “Not to try and kick you guys out since you just got here, but, uh… was there any reason you guys came over? Or did you just miss my face?”

 

As if on cue, the door to the guest room opened. Mikey leaned around Gee to see who was coming out, because they were the only one really paying attention, and their eyes widened. “Holy shit.”

 

“Mikey?” Brendon blurted out, as surprised to see them as they were to see her. She had a blanket around her shoulders, and she looked like she was fighting off something. Brendon pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

 

“What are  _ you _ doing here?” Mikey said. And then, “we thought something happened to you! Patrick and Joe and I made fucking missing posters! Why didn’t you ever text any of us back?”

 

“I… my phone’s gone,” Brendon said. She looked to Raya, quickly, nervously, and Mikey strode over and wrapped Brendon in a hug. Brendon drooped against them, dropping her head onto their shoulder. “Sorry.”

 

Mikey squeezed her. “Don’t be. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

 

“Well,” Gee said. “That answers about none of my questions.”

 

“I can do that,” Raya said. She opened her own bedroom door further. “Do you guys wanna come in here? It’s better than standing out in the hall.”

 

“Yeah, let me go put on real clothes first, though,” Brendon said. 

 

The other three headed to Raya’s room and sat on her bed. Brendon joined them after a few minutes, wearing a loose Led Zeppelin shirt and a pair of jeans that probably belonged to Raya as well. She sat next to Mikey, leaning against them. 

 

Raya crossed her legs at the ankles. “So, uh, short story is Brendon’s not going back to her parents house ever. Long story is that we don’t really know where she’s going, but she’s been here for the past two-ish weeks.”

 

“My parents found out I was trans and kicked me out even though it was like, below freezing,” Brendon said. “Raya found me and let me stay at her house, thankfully, because I had fucking pneumonia of all things from being in the cold for hours. They destroyed my phone, too, because they thought that isolating me from everyone would be a great idea. And Raya and I both decided that I needed some time to just, you know, recover.”

 

“That’s why I told you guys I knew she was fine,” Raya said. 

 

“Sorry for freaking you guys out,” Brendon said. Mikey leaned over and hugged her again, and then just didn’t let go. Brendon was warmer than usual, which meant she was still sick, but Mikey didn’t care. If they got sick, then they’d get sick and they’d deal with Veronica yelling at them for it later. They just wanted a reminder that Brendon was okay for now, and she seemed pretty comfortable smushed up against them anyway. Mikey wasn’t going to ruin that. 

 

Mikey squeezed Brendon’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m sorry about your parents. They’re shit and they don’t deserve you.”

 

Brendon laughed. “Hah. I know. It still hurt, though. I mean, parents are supposed to love their kids, and… and mine don’t.”

 

“We love you,” Raya said. “Even though it’s not the same.”

 

“Yeah, Brendon, seriously,” Gee said. “Your parents might be the shittiest people ever, but you’ve still got us and we can be your new family. There’s nothing you could do to make us disown you.”

 

Brendon lifted her head from Mikey’s shoulder. “What if I told you I was a furry?”

 

Gee shrugged. “I don’t care. I’m a furry.”

 

“What the  _ fuck, Gee _ ?!” Mikey blurted out, with the same intonation as the  _ what the fuck, Richard _ vine. They hadn’t meant to do that, but they had. “You’re a furry? Since when?”

 

“Uhh… I don’t know?” Gee said. She was red in the face. “We’re not talking about me, though. We’re talking about Brendon.”

 

“You know, I usually love being the center of attention but now I kind of want to know about this whole furry thing,” Brendon said. She shifted around so that she was practically laying on top of Mikey and draped her arm over them. She fluttered her eyelashes. “Tell me more, sweet Gee.”

 

“Don’t ever call me that again,” Gee said. 

 

Raya laughed and nudged Gee in the side. “Stop avoiding the question. What’s your fursona?”

 

“ _ No _ ,” Mikey said, firmly, because they didn't want to know any of the details. Their sister was a fucking furry. They leaned their head back and squeezed their eyes shut for a moment, removing the image of Gee in a fursuit from their head. “I came here to have a good time, and I’m feeling so attacked right now.”

 

“Dollar in the jar,” Brendon squeaked out, and then started coughing into her and Mikey’s arms. Raya handed her a glass of water. Brendon took it and slowly sipped from it. “Thanks. And, still, dollar in the jar.”

 

“I guess I deserve it,” Mikey said. They looked over at their sister. “But you better pay up too.”

“For what?” Gee exclaimed. 

 

“For being a furry!”

 

Gee shook her head. “That doesn’t count. People are furries all the time. Pete’s probably a furry.”

 

“Ew, no, I had sex with them,” Mikey said, and then froze. Gee and Raya were looking at them with their jaws dropped, and Brendon was muffling her laughter with her glass of water. Mikey felt their face go red. “Not. Not recently. And it wasn’t a thing thing. It’s not a thing, at all, now. I don’t even like Pete.”

 

Gee rolled her eyes. “Duh. I know that. I know all the people you have a crush on currently.”

 

Mikey narrowed their eyes.  _ All the people?  _ As in multiple? Mikey only had a crush on Dallon, and that was bad enough on it’s own. Mikey didn’t want to wake up one morning and realise they had a crush on multiple people, because that would make things more complicated than they already were. 

 

Mikey frowned. “We should get to drama rehearsal.”

 

“I don’t have all of my voice back yet,” Brendon warned. 

 

Mikey patted her on the arm. “I know. I meant me and Gee.”

 

Brendon nodded. “Right. Obviously.”

 

“Whenever you feel better, you should come back,” Mikey said. “We miss you.”

 

“I know,” Brendon said. She smiled, softly. “I’ve missed you guys too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> Also: I won't be updating this until after I post the next part of WSYICT (aka on 3/25) because I need to focus more on that. So, nohic is taking a mini hiatus but we'll be back in a few weeks, don't worry.


	95. how bout we dont

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a filler, but Ryan, Travie, and Gabe are added to the chat so yay!

- **spooncer** has added  **operaticskeleton** to  **anything goes the mucisal** -

 

**spooncer** : hello and welcome to the hell chat

**pebter** : is that ryan??????

**operaticskeleton** : hi pete

**pebter** : HEWWO

**operaticskeleton** : spencer i understand why you call it the hell chat now

**pebter** : wow thanks ;(

**spooncer** : was that a winking frown? what the fuck

**pebter** : i’m emo but still down to fuck

**operaticskeleton** : i have a boyfriend

**hurleyxvx** : so does pete

**pebter** : actually

**pebter** : josh and i broke up

**hurleyxvx** : oh no why

**hurleyxvx** : do i need to kick his ass

**pebter** : no

**fanklin** : i already did it andy that part of friendship is covered

**hurleyxvx** : Why Did His Ass Need To Be Kicked

**pebter** : not like actually kicked ok just… frank was there when he broke up with me and he did the whole “u don’t know what ur doing pete is the best ur ever gonna get” speech u would have done for him if u’d been there

**hurleyxvx** : alright. i’m still gonna make sure he knows he fucked up for dumping u though

**hurleyxvx** : ur a treasure pete

**pebter** : aw thanks <3

 

- **pebter** added  **mijey** , **bihalsey** , and  **fanklin** to  **how bout we dont** -

 

**pebter** : i haven’t told andy the truth yet ok just go with me pls

**mijey** : got it

**fanklin** : cool beans my short friend

**pebter** : ur shorter than me

**bihalsey** : i won’t say anything unless ur cool with it

**bihalsey** : i don’t agree with u defending josh but it’s not my decision ya kno

**mijey** : what she said

**pebter** : i’m going to tell him eventually i just don’t want to do it in front of the entire chat

**pebter** : its weird enough that you guys know i don’t need everyone to

**mijey** : im gonna add gabe and travie to the chat to change the conversation is that cool? and also bc i said id add them anyway

**pebter** : yea pls do

 

- **mijey** added  **fangzout** and  **cupidslazarus** to  **anything goes the mucisal** -

 

**mijey** : and since we added ryan, heres gabe and travie!

**cupidslazarus** : there are a lot of ppl in here whats up

**spooncer** : its p much the entire gsa at this point

**spooncer** : and ryan

**operaticskeleton** : hey

**fangzout** : wait ryan did u say u had a boyfriend????? *eyes emoji* Whomst

**spooncer** : even without brendon we still have someone who lives for the information

**fangzout** : tea is good for the soul

**hurleyxvx** : dollar in the jar

**cupidslazarus** : yall do fines?

**spooncer** : don’t say yall we live in indiana

**dadeth** : I say y’all. Sometimes.

**spooncer** : yea and it’s still weird

**cupidslazarus** : let dadeth and i say yall

**cupidslazarus** : i have no idea who yall are by the way. these usernames are fucking weird and i can’t figure out half of them

**cupidslazarus** : who the hell is hetty mcgee??

**mijey** : brendon

**cupidslazarus** : somehow. im not that surprised

**fangzout** : spanish has a yall by the way, if u fucks wanna be bilingual

**momfriend** : no

**fangzout** : wow mom thanks

**momfriend** : ur welcome

**momfriend** : also you guys are all horrible people school’s starting

**fangzout** : u live up to your name whoever u r

**momfriend** : raya

**momfriend** : you’ll figure everyone out eventually, don’t worry

 

Mikey put their phone down and sat up in their chair. It was the last period of the day, and they they had drama rehearsal again. Luckily, they were done with the singing part, so all of their afternoons were spent in the theatre room instead of half of them. It was an improvement, because now Mikey could get some of their work done between scenes. 

 

Lindsey was still showing up to rehearsal, even though it wasn’t supposed to be there. Veronica wasn’t going to mention it to anyone. Melanie and Taylor (who was one of Reno’s angels) were out now, as well as Brendon, so Veronica was already short a few actors. She wasn’t going to lose another, especially since Lindsey had a name role. 

 

Mikey pulled out their phone again, because English was boring today and they were talking about a story Mikey had already finished. 

 

-private message to  **zoid** -

 

**mijey** : how pissed do u think melanies gonna be when she comes back and sees that ur still at drama

**zoid** : hella

**zoid** : she also better piss her pants out of fear bc i haven’t forgotten the shit she said and i never will

**mijey** : what are you doing now since ur not in school

**zoid** : mom wants me to to just finish school online and get a job

**zoid** : i think i might

**mijey** : so u wont come back at all?

**zoid** : probably not. i mean, what’s the point? it’s almost spring break, and then a five weeks after that, it’s the middle of may and i’d have like… two weeks before final exams (which im exempt from anyway) and then graduation

**mijey** : huh. would you still walk?

**zoid** : probably

**zoid** : if i didn’t mom would just throw me my own personal graduation bc she’s proud of me

**mijey** : for graduating or kicking melanie’s ass?

**zoid** : lowkey both. she knows that schools are shit when it comes to bullying policies so even tho shes against violence she understands that i did it to stand up to a bully and she’s ok with that

**mijey** : ur mom is the coolest

**zoid** : pretty much

 

The phone rang, and everyone scrambled to get their things together so that they could go home. Unlike middle school, where there had been seperate releases for people who walked home and people who rode the bus, everyone just left now. It was chaotic. Mikey was finally used to it after almost an entire year of being a high schooler.

 

They moved through everyone to get to the theatre. Spencer and Dallon were already there, along with Gee and Pete. Gee looked distressed and Pete and Spencer looked stressed. Mikey couldn’t see Dallon’s face. 

 

“What happened?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Shithole people happened,” Pete said. The four of them were sitting in a circle, up against the wall, and fanning Gee’s sketchbook. It looked like it had been dumped in a soda machine. Pete waved their arms harder. “You don’t happen to have a hair dryer, do you?”

 

“Um, no,” Mikey said. They looked at Gee. “You know you don’t have to stay here during practice, right? You can go home if you need to and I’ll just get a ride from someone else.”

 

“Mikey, it’s fine,” Gee said. She hadn’t been crying, which was good, but she looked like she was holding it back, which wasn’t. Mikey didn’t even have to ask why her sketchbook had been ruined. They knew why. It was that fucking Facebook post. There were enough people in school who’d seen it, and even though the principal had made a morning announcement that harassment and slander of any kind were not permitted, it didn’t change what had happened. 

 

No one listened to the principal anyway. He was old and out of touch, and he’d never been helpful when students needed him. 

 

“It’s really not,” Dallon said. “That’s your art, and now it’s gone.”

 

“I have digital copies of most of it,” Gee said. She waved her hands harder. “I’m serious. Don’t worry about it, or about me. I’d rather be in here than out there.”

 

Mikey wrapped their arms around their sister. They wished that there was something they could do, some way to make the bullying and the harassment stop. They were all kids, and high school was supposed to be fun. Boring sometimes, frustrating other times, but no one deserved to go through the things that Gee and Mikey’s friends were dealing with. 

 

Ashley showed up later, and while she didn’t have a hair dryer, she did have the idea to go to the art hall and ask them. Art students had weird shit, especially at public schools where there wasn’t any funding. Gee and Pete went together, because Pete didn’t want her to go alone and they didn’t think that Mikey would be able to throw an attacker off. They were right, but Mikey didn’t like it. 

 

Mikey crossed their arms and slumped down between Spencer and Ashley. “I wish I could kick ass.”

 

“Be more like Lindsey,” Ashley suggested. “I started lifting weights at the gym with my dad. He thinks it’s weird, since I’m a girl, but I don’t care. I want to be ready to kick anyone’s ass if they hurt my friends.”

 

“If you do that,” Spencer said, looking down at Mikey and smiling, “don’t treat it like gym class. I know how you are in that class, and you’ll never be able to drop kick someone if you don’t push yourself.”

 

Mikey flipped him off. “What are you, my personal trainer?”

 

“Sounds like a bad porn,” Dallon said drily. Both Spencer and Mikey tried to sputter out a response, with Ashley laughing at them from behind her hand. Dallon grinned. “You guys are so easy. It’s a joke, you nerds.”

 

“It’s only a joke because you don’t want to admit you’d watch it,” Ashley said, wiggling her finger at Dallon. Dallon took her finger in their hand and threw her arm back. Ashley laughed again, flailing a little so that she didn’t fall over. She sat back up and adjusted her skirt. “Denial is not only a river in Egypt, Dallon.”

 

“I don’t want a porn of Mikey,” Dallon said. “They’re underage.”

 

“I’m also underage!” Spencer exclaimed.

 

“I’ve already seen you naked,” Dallon said. They leaned over and kissed Spencer on the mouth. “It would only be weird if it was public.”

 

Mikey buried their face in their hands. “Why are we talking about porn. I hate all of you.”

 

“No you don’t,” Ashley said, and patted them on the shoulder. Mikey didn’t get to argue, because Pete and Gee came back then and Veronica started pulling everyone towards the stage so that they could start rehearsal. Gee’s notebook looked better, but there would definitely be some water damage that she couldn’t fix. 

 

Gee looked down at her notebook, and then up at Mikey. “Hey, I’m probably going to head home as soon as the parking lot clears out. You can get a ride home, right?”

 

“Yeah, of course,” Mikey said. “Be safe.”

 

“I’ll do my best,” Gee said. She gave Mikey a peace sign, and Mikey gave her one back before turning around and heading toward the stage. 

 

Mikey jumped up onto the stage and headed behind the curtain. They didn’t get to go on until about twenty minutes in. Veronica was trying to get everyone to where they could run through the play, scene by scene, without any interruptions or missed lines. They weren’t singing yet. That would be after spring break. 

 

Mikey’s eyes widened. Spring break was literally next week. There was hardly any time left in school. They grinned to themself. They were fucking excited. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	96. Taylor v. Brendon (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people have asked me if I'm gonna make brallencerkey canon in nohic. Well, yeah.

“Veronica, I have a question?” Taylor’s whiny voice whined out between scenes. Veronica looked like she was about to pop a vein from stress. Taylor even had her hand in the air, like they were all in a classroom and not standing up on stage. She smiled. “What are we going to do about Reno?”

 

“What do you mean, what are we going to do about Reno?” Veronica asked, slowly. “She’s been cast as Brendon, and while Brendon is out sick, I’ll be covering the part.”

 

“Well, Brendon’s been out for almost a month, and since spring break starts this weekend, I just thought…” Taylor said. She trailed off for a moment and wound a piece of her hair around her finger. “I don’t want the musical to go down in flames. If Brendon’s not back, after the break, maybe we should just recast Reno as someone who actually shows up to rehearsal.”

 

There was some mumbled agreement, which was cut off when Spencer glared back at the extras and stage hands. He had a pretty powerful glare. 

 

Veronica looked torn. “Well. I know Brendon, and she wouldn’t abandon theatre.”

 

“I’m sure Brendon wouldn’t,” Taylor said. She was so careful not to call Brendon by anything other than her name. Mikey hated it. “But just in case… so that you can focus on directing, maybe we should have a mini try out? Right after break so we don’t waste any time?”

 

“Alright, I suppose,” Veronica said. She motioned for Laura to grab her a clipboard. She stood there on the stage for a moment, flipping back and forth between pages, and then finally nodded. “We’ll hold the fill-in audition for Reno on the Tuesday after break. You don’t need to sign up, but make sure to get to the theatre room right after school lets out. I don’t want to waste any rehearsal time.”

 

“What if Brendon’s not back by then?” Dallon blurted out. 

 

Taylor shrugged. “I guess that’s Brendon’s loss.”

 

Dallon looked like they wanted to kill Taylor a little. Mikey was willing to supply them with a knife if they decided to go through with it. They gave Taylor one long, final glare before pulling out their phone and sending a text out to Raya. 

 

-private message to  **momfriend** -

 

**mijey** : i kno brendons lowkey dying but she needs to get back to school asap

**momfriend** : spring break is next week

**mijey** : yea but after that

**mijey** : i think taylor is trying to sharpay evans her way into brendon’s role in the musical

**momfriend** : first of all, why did you just make a hsm reference

**momfriend** : second of all brendon told me that if we were in hsm, /she’d/ be sharpay

**momfriend** : third, she’s down for whatever

**mijey** : well apparently there’s going to be a fill in audition for reno the tuesday after spring break

**momfriend** : quote from brendon “tell mikey to tell taylor that not only will i be there but i will personally see to it that she never sees stage lights again if she thinks she can come for me like that”

**mijey** : oh i’ll tell her

**mijey** : dont worry

 

Mikey put their phone away and then spent the rest of rehearsal acting like they weren’t scheming a way to remove Taylor from drama entirely. First she’d tried to get Mikey in trouble for something they hadn’t even done, and now she was trying to replace Brendon. As if. Mikey had heard Taylor sing, and she barely had one octave of range. Brendon, on the other hand, could sing whatever part she was given, and sound like a professional opera singer while doing it. 

 

They waited until rehearsal was over, and then gathered as many of their friends as they could find and followed Melanie and Taylor out of the drama room. Mikey was pissed. They had Lindsey on one side, and Spencer on the other, and they were pretty sure that they could destroy Taylor with their vision alone at this point. 

 

“Hey!” Mikey called out when they were all crossing the parking lot. Taylor and Melanie didn’t hear them. Mikey’s face flashed red with embarrassment, and they swallowed before trying again. “Hey, Taylor!”

 

“Mikey’s talking to you, bitch!” Lindsey screamed. It had quite the set of lungs. 

 

Taylor turned, and Melanie pulled on her arm. 

 

Mikey walked faster. “Don’t walk away from me when I’m trying to talk to you.”

 

“You shouldn’t be here,” Taylor said, turning around and pointing at Lindsey. “Don’t make me call the police, I’ll do it. This is harassment.”

 

“Not until I lay a hand on you,” Lindsey said. “And this isn’t my fight. It’s theirs.”

 

Mikey stepped forward. They were about the same height as Taylor, and just as skinny. The difference was that Mikey had hidden their body shape under baggy jeans and a flannel over a t-shirt. Taylor was dressed like she wanted to be an instagram model, or an art ho. Mikey couldn’t figure it out. They tilted their chin up, looking her up and down like they were thinking about swinging or not. They weren’t going to hit her. Mikey wasn’t a fighter. 

 

Taylor sneered at them. “Can I help you? Or are you queers just here to be fucking creeps?”

 

“You can help us by not trying out,” Mikey said. Not as cool as they’d hoped they would sound. “Reno’s not your part, it’s Brendon’s. If you back out now, you won’t have to live with the embarrassment of trying to outdo her. But it’s your choice. I don’t care if you try out or not. I’m just warning you: you’ll regret it if you do.”

 

“That’s a threat,” Melanie said. Her eyes were on Lindsey, not on Mikey, though. 

 

Lindsey lifted it’s fist. “I’ll show you a threat. Shut the fuck up.”

 

Melanie gulped and backed behind Taylor. So she’d learned her lesson. Good. Mikey kept their attention on Taylor and took a deep breath. “It’s not a threat. It’s a fact. Brendon had more talent in one strand of hair than you do in your whole body. Don’t waste your oxygen just because you can’t handle being beat out by a prettier girl.”

 

“As if,” Taylor laughed, and rolled her eyes. “Brendon’s far from pretty. He looks more like a Drag Race reject.”

 

“And you look like an extra from a shitty teen movie, but go off,” Spencer snapped. 

 

“What he said,” Mikey said, and pointed to Spencer. They glared at Taylor. “And don’t you dare call Brendon a he again, or I’ll show you what a real threat sounds like.”

 

They brushed past Taylor, purposefully hitting her shoulder, and headed towards Spencer’s car. Lindsey, Spencer, Dallon, and Ashley followed. Spencer was taking them to get food first, and then he would drive everyone home. Mikey hopped in the backseat, between Ashley and Lindsey, and Dallon got shotgun because they were Spencer’s datemate. 

 

Ashley tapped Mikey’s leg. “Hey. Dude, that was awesome.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikey said. 

 

“I’m serious,” Ashley said. “You were totally badass there. Melanie looked like she was about to piss herself.”

 

“Let’s not get into piss,” Spencer said. He sounded like a worried dad. Mikey pointed this out, and Spencer flipped them off through the rearview mirror. Mikey wanted to tell him and Dallon about Brendon. They felt like those two deserved to know, since Brendon was their girlfriend and they were the most worried about her. 

 

They didn’t say anything, though. Brendon would be back soon enough. 

 

Ashley got dropped off first, since her house was the farthest from the school and in the opposite direction from everyone else. Lindsey was next, because it’s house was kind of on the way to Mikey’s. 

 

Mikey didn’t get out as soon as Spencer parked in their driveway. They pulled at some loose skin on their thumb. “You guys are doing okay, right? With Brendon and with the whole outing thing?”

 

“As okay as I can be,” Dallon said. They frowned. “Why’re you asking?”

 

“Because of what happened with Gee,” Mikey said. “Before she was outed, she still dealt with harassment, but this has made everything worse. And I mean, she’s seeing a therapist now, which is good, but I don’t… I don’t want to see any of my friends get hurt because of Melanie, you know?”

 

“We’ll be okay, Mikes,” Spencer said. He turned around in his seat to look at Mikey directly, and Mikey felt something warm settle deep down in their soul. Spencer had a determined look on his face. “Things are going to get better, I can feel it. And if the universe doesn’t start working in out favour, then we can  _ make _ it work in our favour.”

 

Dallon laughed. “Are you suggesting we fight God?”

 

Spencer shrugged. “If that’s what it takes for you guys to feel safe at school, then yeah. I’d fight God for you.”

 

“Aw, thanks,” Dallon said. The lights on Mikey's front porch came on, and Dallon turned around to see who was there. “Oh, your mom's here. You should probably head inside.”

 

Mikey nodded. They ducked their head down and grabbed their things off of the floor of Spencer’s car. They could tell that they were blushing, but they didn’t know why they were nervous. It wasn’t like their mom was going to walk up and catch them kissing Spencer or Dallon and then ask questions. Mikey wasn’t  _ going _ to kiss Spencer or Dallon. That would fuck things up. Mikey didn’t want to fuck things up, because they liked how things were in their friend group. There was enough stress with the whole Melanie situation. Mikey didn’t want to add to it. 

 

Mikey said goodbye to Spencer and Dallon and then raced up the sidewalk to get to their mom before she could get down to the car. They pulled their backpack further up onto their shoulders. “Hey mom. We grabbed dinner on the way back, so I’m good for food for the night.”

 

Their mom raised her eyebrows. “You were in the car for a while. Anything I should know about?”

 

“We were just talking,” Mikey said. They heard Spencer start his car’s engine and then back down the driveway. For a moment, Mikey wondered if he and Dallon had kissed before leaving. Mikey mentally smacked themself for that, because Spencer and Dallon’s (and Brendon’s) relationship was none of their business. 

 

They followed their mom back into the house instead of watching Spencer and Dallon leave. They set their backpack down in the living room and joined Gee and their dad on the couch before pulling out their phone and sliding down so that their face was hidden behind their knees. 

 

“Ugh, Mikey, get off your phone,” Gee said sarcastically. She had her laptop and tablet out and was working on the comic. She turned to their dad and shook her head. “Kids these days and their obsession with technology.”

 

“I know, right?” Their dad said, and tapped the side of Gee’s laptop. 

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “I’m just texting Spencer and Dallon to make sure they got home. I’m not even going to open twitter.”

 

“Sure,” Gee said, “but if I see you on twitter I’m making a callout post for you.”

 

“I thought that was only a tumblr thing,” Mikey said. 

 

Their dad shook his head. “You two have too many social medias. I don’t know if I could keep up with all of that.”

 

“That’s okay, dad. We don’t expect you to,” Gee said. Their dad looked at her for a moment before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the movie on the screen. Mikey didn’t recognise it, so they assumed it was from the 90’s and had been relevant long before they were born. Mikey was fine with that. They had a group chat full of their friends if they needed entertainment. 

 

**mijey** : so apparently im banned from twitter now

**pebter** : wait what

**pebter** : i knew twitter was deactivating fan accounts but i didn’t think theyd go after you

**mijey** : i didn’t get deactivataed

**mijey** : however if i post on twitter today gee’s going to make a callout post for me and call me a liar

**vampiregee** : bc u would be a liar

**vampiregee** : u said u were texting dallon and spencer only so……… y u talk 2 peb?

**pebter** : don’t ever speak like that again or i’ll make a callout post for /you/

**vampiregee** : uwu im so scawed

**mijey** : gee go back to ur art u fucking furry

**momfriend** : #exposed. 

**vampiregee** : yes mom im a furry no mom its not a phase

**pebter** : change ur name to ur fursona also do you have a furaffinity and/or do furry commissions

**pebter** : WAIT HAVE YOU DRAWN FURRY PORN

**mijey** : gee… pls dont answer that

**vampiregee** : i have and pete i’ll dm it to you

**mijey** : NO!!!!!!!!

**pebter** : im not sure what i expected

**momfriend** : gee if ur making extra money from furry commissions then ur no longer allowed to benefit from the sin jar. furries are rich. you’ve pretty much got a sugarbear daddy going on

**vampiregee** : that’s valid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April fools. 
> 
> :)


	97. SPRANG BRAK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, time for another warning thing. My opinion on ace discourse is that I really don't give a shit if ace/aro people consider themselves part of the LGBT+ community or not. What matters is that they don't talk over gay/bi/trans/etc people and that we're all mutually respectful towards each other. Because it's a fucking community, not a shitshow. 
> 
> On that note, here's part one of the spring break chapter. Brendon comes back in chapter 100.

- **hurleyxvx** changed the name of the group to  **SPRANG BRAK** -

 

**hurleyxvx** : so what’s everyone up to on this lovely spring day

**pebter** : suffering because it is literally 34 degrees out

**hatrick** : the weather is homophobic i bought a crop top

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : oh that’s incredibly homophobic i want to see you in a crop top

**pebter** : gay

**fangzout** : pete ur day

**fangzout** : *gay

**pebter** : no gabe i’m a day of the week

**dadeth** : ...More like a day of the Week(es), amiright?

**spooncer** : booooo no dad jokes in the group chat

**dadeth** : spence i am a dad joke

**pebter** : dollar in the jar anyway

**pebter** : who has that? joe? 

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : surprisingly, yes, i do have that

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : dallon u owe me a dollar when we get back to school

**dadeth** : Okay. I’ll try to remember that. 

**fuck_ashleys_mom** : dont worry i got u

 

- **fuck_ashleys_mom** changed their name to  **dallonowesmeadollar** -

 

**dallonowesmeadollar** : now you can’t forget

**hatrick** : joe that’s the ugliest chat name i’ve seen

**bihalsey** : yea bring back fucking my mom!!

**bihalsey** : …...actually dont

**bihalsey** : great now i’m imagining my mom having sex Gross

**bihalsey** : anyway i’m on a beach in new jersey how are you nerds doing

**hatrick** : im freezing my ass off

**mijey** : so turns out my parents decided to take gee, lena, and me on a trip to florida which is rad except gee’s a vampire and i get motion sick on roller coasters now

**momfriend** : oh no D:

**momfriend** : wait are u guys at disney world? and your parents didn’t invite me????

**mijey** : we’re at universal

**mijey** : lena and i are currently in harry potter world and trying to get wands

**mijey** : there is a large line and i am intimidated

**spooncer** : good luck and stay hydrated

**mijey** : ok other mom

**spooncer** : im not ur mom

**dadeth** : Spencer doesn’t give me mom vibes at all. Sorry Mikey.

**mijey** : its ok i still have raya

**momfriend** : well. ur in florida. so u dont actually have me

**vampiregee** : im going to get sunburned and turned into fried gee but i fucking love roller coasters ive gone on the hulk 3 times and im in line for round 4

**momfriend** : i’m bitter

**momfriend** : i want to go to universal

**momfriend** : mikey if you stop feeling like death please try butterbeer for me i wanna know what it tastes like

**bihalsey** : wait isn’t it alcoholic??

**momfriend** : nope

**bihalsey** : oh shit that’s awesome

**fanklin** : wait ash where in nj are u

**bihalsey** : long beach island, near surf city

**fanklin** : ah man you’re like 2 hours away i wanted to hang out with you instead of my dad and his girlfriend

**bihalsey** : do you think ur dad would drive you down anyway? i mean its not that far

**fanklin** : maybe

**fanklin** : we’ll see

 

- **brendolyn** wants to add  **mijey** as friend-

 

- **mijey** has added  **brendolyn** as friend-

 

-private message from  **brendolyn** -

 

**brendolyn** : hey its bren raya’s mom let me have her brothers old ipod touch as a phone while i’m pseudo living here

**mijey** : hey! how’re u (also that’s great we’ve missed u in the chat)

**brendolyn** : im good :p and my voice is p much back so i’ll be ready to kick taylor’s skinny ass next week

**mijey** : do u want me to add u to the group chat again?

**brendolyn** : no i want my comeback to be Dramatique

**brendolyn** : however if u want to start a side group with dallon and spencer i would not complain about that

**mijey** : can do

 

- **mijey** created the group  **disaster gays** -

 

- **mijey** added  **spooncer** ,  **dadeth** , and  **brendolyn** to  **disaster gays** -

 

**mijey** : sorry i couldn’t think of a better name

**brendolyn** : no that’s accurate

**spooncer** : brendon?

**brendolyn** : hey babe ;)

**spooncer** : holy shit where have u been??

**dadeth** : Brendon? You’re okay?

**brendolyn** : im ok now but tl;dr my parents kicked me out, i got pneumonia, and have been living with raya’s fam for the past weeks

**spooncer** : you and ryan both need to learn to ask for help oh my god

**dadeth** : What he means is “we were worried sick about you but we’re glad you’re okay now”

**brendolyn** : i figured

**brendolyn** : i missed you guys too and i can’t wait to see you again

**dadeth** : Well, we could come see you not. Not Mikey, obviously, because they’re in Florida. 

**spooncer** : if raya’s mom is cool with it obviously

**brendolyn** : she’ll be cool with it

**brendolyn** : no ~strenuous activity~ tho i’m still healing

**mijey** : i am still in this chat

**dadeth** : Mikey, if you haven’t figured out that the three of us have a healthy sex life you haven’t been paying attention. 

**spooncer** : mikey never pays attention

**dadeth** : That’s true. 

**dadeth** : Mikey: Spencer, Brendon and I have sex. It’s pretty awesome.

**brendolyn** : u sound like a fuckboy

**mijey** : fuckperson

**spooncer** : a fuck

**dadeth** : I’m a fuck, I guess.

**brendolyn** : ur our fuck <3

**mijey** : ...sure

 

**vampiregee** : i can’t believe i got back to the hotel with mom and dad before mikey what the fuck

**vampiregee** : mikey doesn’t even do rollercoasters

**mijey** : i brought you jellybeans what more do you want

**vampiregee** : to feel less like an old lady

**mijey** : cant help with that one ask lena how she does it

**fanklin** : oh burn

**zoid** : are you two seriously doing that thing where u text each other in the same room

**vampiregee** : yes

**zoid** : you never cease to amaze me

**momfriend** : update on life, i’m currently banned from the upstairs because my mom is cleaning

**mijey** : is your mom cleaning or is she ~cleaning~

**momfriend** : i know what you’re talking about and no, she’s really just cleaning. all the doors upstairs are open

**zoid** : ????

**mijey** : inside joke

**cupidslazarus** : so i saw some bullshit today

**vampiregee** : ooh spill

**cupidslazarus** : some dumbass on tumblr said that blm didn’t deserve to be at pride events like??? blm was started by lgbt+ people and there’s this thing called intersection??

**cupidslararus** : anyway i responded and was called an “aphobe” before being blocked

**cupidslazarus** : i dont even know what an aphobe is

**hurleyxvx** : it’s kind of lost its meaning in all the weird internet discourse pete keeps me updated on but it’s supposed to mean someone who’s a dick towards ace/aro people

**cupidslazarus** : i said nothing about ace/aro people in my response

**vampiregee** : id ignore it ace discoursers are wild

**cupidslazarus** : cool

**cupidslazarus** : i checked the blog and it’s a 25 year old white chick named katy i’ve never given myself an aneurysm before but here we are

**fangzout** : travie leave while u still can

**vampiregee** : i’m surprised you’d never run into the weird side of ace discourse before

**cupidslazarus** : im barely on tumblr i just saw that and had to address it

**fangzout** : well prepare for a callout then bc that’s how it usually goes

**zoid** : god do people still take tumblr callouts seriously

**vampiregee** : unfortunately

**mijey** : wait so if you’d made a callout for me on twitter would i have actually gotten hate for it

**vampiregee** : probably not

**vampiregee** : twitter doesn’t do callouts as much

**mijey** : what if i do have a callout on tumblr but i haven’t seen it bc i don’t have one

**pebter** : wouldn’t be surprised

**pebter** : not in a mean way, but u have a lot of twitter followers and i’ve seen reposts of your tweets on tumblr

**hurleyxvx** : pete that’s bc ur blog is a shitpost

**pebter** : correct

**pebter** : but also that proves mikey’s made it on the internet bc i only follow the best hashtag relatable blogs

**hurleyxvx** : ...sure

**fangzout** : not to be that bitch but im bored already on spring break

**cupidslazarus** : come over to willows house then i’m on my way

**fangzout** : hell yeah

**fanklin** : lucky

**fanklin** : my gf is literally states away from me rn

**bihalsey** : as is mine!! but thats just how it is on this bitch of an earth

**zoid** : dont u have a long distance relationship

**bihalsey** : ya

**zoid** : did you guys know each other irl first or??

**bihalsey** : nah we met on tumblr during our one direction phases

**pebter** : guess harry styles is a true lesbian icon if he’s the reason the two of you met

**bihalsey** : he really is

**bball_ace** : you shouldn’t call him a lesbian icon since he’s not a lesbian

**zoid** : i’m secretly harry styles and let me tell you. im a fucking lesbian icon

**bihalsey** : i mean i’ve never seen you and harry styles in the same room so it’s possible

**vampiregee** : nah harry wears too much floral shit, lindsey’s too goth to be harry

**mijey** : dallon could be harry styles

**mijey** : they wear a lot of flower print shirts

**momfriend** : i hadn’t noticed that but yeah

**pebter** : where did dallon go they were literally just here

**momfriend** : they’re geing the lesbian icon harry styles

**hurleyxvx** : is this a hannah montana situation

**mijey** : oh god no

**bball_ace** : hannah montana was an ok show

**hurleyxvx** : thats a bold statement

**bball_ace** : what? how

**hurleyxvx** : because pete is a hannah montana stan and they didn’t want me to tell anyone but it’s too late the information has been leaked

**pebter** : andrew if it were not for the laws of this land i would have slaughtered you

**bball_ace** : why’d you call pete “they” i thought he was a guy

**hurleyxvx** : bc those are their pronouns??????????

**dallonowesmeadollar** : pete’s an enigma thats why

**pebter** : joe how do u always manage to say something uselesss yet so poignant at the same time

**dallonowesmeadollar** : because im gay

**bihalsey** : guys i found an unopened beer bottle on the beach should i drink it

**pebter** : no

**bihalsey** : aw man 

**pebter** : what if it’s been poisoned and you have to die in new jersey

**fanklin** : hey fuck u jersey is a great place to die

**momfriend** : frank i wouldn’t be surprised if you did die in new jersey 

**fanklin** : thank you

**fanklin** : i have every intention of dying here eventually

**vampiregee** : don’t do it while im in florida that’s homophobic

**bihalsey** : gee i hate to break it to you but you’re in a straight relationship

**vampiregee** : fuck

**vampiregee** : guess it’s heterophobic then

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	98. Savage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is because they say savage a lot in this fic and I couldn't think of anything better. 
> 
> No, this is not confirmation of brallencerkey. Trust me, if it happens, you'll know.

**mijey** : and the award to the most ridiculous flight ever goes to….. us

**vampiregee** : it wasn’t that bad

**mijey** : it was

**zoid** : how bad was it

**vampiregee** : it wasn’t bad, mikey’s just mad that they didn’t get the window seat

**mijey** : gee’s a hoarder of windows

**pebter** : do you think she could get on hoarders

**mijey** : no

**mijey** : she’s not that bad about it

**pebter** : remember when that one woman literally had buckets of shit in her house

**zoid** : pete that’s nasty

**pebter** : it wasn’t my house!!!

**vampiregee** : i think you’re the only one here who actually watches hoarders

**pebter** : its entertaining

**hurleyxvx** : its fucking weird

**pebter** : shut up andy i didn’t even show you the best episodes

**hurleyxvx** : somehow, i don’t think that i’d like your definition of “best episodes”

**zoid** : oh hey you can watch clips on youtube

**pebter** : oh fuck yeah

**pebter** : look up the shit lady!!

**zoid** : absolutely not

**spooncer** : not to change the subject but who here is ready for school tomorrow

**cupidslazarus** : not me

**cupidslazarus** : i was enjoying my free time, but thanks for reminding me that it’s over soon

**spooncer** : anything for you travster

**cupidslazarus** : dont call me that

**spooncer** : travsterino

**dadeth** : He’ll keep adding things to that unless you accept it. He’s a dick like that

**cupidslazarus** : you can call me travster if and only if i can call you spoon man

**spooncer** : ill allow it

**cupidslazarus** : im also going to get gabe and willow to call you spoon man

**spooncer** : that’s just mean

**cupidslazarus** : i think its fair

**spooncer** : ok i guess i’m the spoon man now

**bihalsey** : speaking of spoons i don’t want to go back to school tomorrow

**zoid** : that has nothing to do with spoons

**bihalsey** : correct!! but consider this, i don’t care

**bihalsey** : is there going to be a gsa meeting? or are we skipping bc of the taylor situation

**vampiregee** : whats the taylor situation

**zoid** : she’s trying to steal brendon’s part in the musical

**momfriend** : she wont

**vampiregee** : i don’t doubt that, because brendon’s talented af, but wasn’t taylor the girl who tried to accuse mikey of stealing her phone?

**mijey** : yep

**mijey** : but brendon’s gonna kick her ass, no problem

**vampiregee** : you’ve talked to brendon???

**mijey** : i don’t need to. i believe in her

**spooncer** : in this house we’re brendon believers first and people second

**mijey** : dollar in the jar

**spooncer** : alright

**dallonowesmeadollar** : mikey if u can find brendon before tomorrow and get her to sin that means all three of them owe the jar a dollar

**mijey** : don’t believe in me

**dadeth** : I believe in you, Mikey. 

**mijey** : thanks dallon

 

Mikey set their phone down in their lap for a moment. They were in the car with their family, on the way back from the airport, and they felt good. The plane ride had sucked, and there had been a screaming baby for most of it, but Universal had been awesome. Mikey had a wand and a bunch of Marvel related shit in their suitcase, and they’d managed to not burn themself. 

 

Indiana was not a fun state to drive through. There were a lot of corn fields, and Mikey wondered who lived on them. They couldn’t imagine living on a farm. Farm life seemed boring, and they liked being able to hang out with their friends and go to the mall and drink too much Starbucks. Farms didn't have that. They had cows, and that was about it. 

 

Mikey looked down at their phone again. It was more interesting than what was outside, and they still had that private chat with Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon. Mikey could talk to Brendon there, and figure out what would happen tomorrow at school. 

 

**mijey** : you’ll be at school monday right?

**brendolyn** : no im coming on tuesday

**mijey** : ……..is this you being extra

**brendolyn** : oh 100%

**dadeth** : I can’t wait. 

**spooncer** : should we prepare ourselves in any way?

**brendolyn** : dw baby i’ve got everything covered ;)

**mijey** : ok now i’m worried

**brendolyn** : i mean you’ll be shook but it won’t be too big of an issue

**brendolyn** : i’m just showing taylor her place, which isn’t hard bc her place is at home

**dadeth** : Savage. 

**mijey** : dont say savage that sounds weird coming out of your mouth

**dadeth** : Technically, it wasn’t out of my mouth. It was out of my keyboard. 

**spooncer** : …… savage 

**mijey** : i hate you 

**brendolyn** : but not me right?

**spooncer** : brendon you’re impossible to hate

**dadeth** : You’re ridiculous, but it’s endearing.

**mijey** : yeah i guess ur ok

**brendolyn** : mikey u ass

**mijey** : im not dating you im not obligated to shower you with compliments at any moment

**brendolyn** : but as my friend you are

**mijey** : was that in the contract

**dadeth** : Yes.

**spooncer** : yes

 

“We’re home!” Mikey’s dad called out. Mikey startled, and their dad laughed. “Did I catch you off guard?”

 

“See, that’s what happens when you’ve got your head in your phone,” their mom said. 

 

Mikey frowned. “I was texting my friends. About school.”

 

Gee gave them a weird look, but Mikey waved them off. She knew about Brendon, and if she asked, Mikey would tell her that they’d been talking with Brendon. It wasn’t anything they needed to keep a secret. 

 

They helped their parents unpack and then they retreated to their cats. They’d missed Vanya and Vamos a lot. Their neighbours had been feeding the cats, but Mikey still got a bunch of loud meows when they walked into their bedroom to see their cats on their bed. Mikey grinned and laid down between the two of them. Vamos immediately jumped on Mikey’s chest and started kneading them. 

 

Mikey reached out and pet Vamos, and then pet Vanya with their other hand when Vanya yelled at them. “I missed you guys. You’re wonderful.”

 

“Why am I not surprised?” Gee said. “We get home and the cats immediately go to you.”

 

“They have their favourite gay,” Mikey said. They lifted their head to look at Gee. “And it’s me.”

 

“I can’t believe you two would betray me like this,” Gee said. She leaned over and kissed Vamos on his forehead. She went to her own bed and snapped a picture of Mikey with the cats to post on Snapchat. Gee’s entire Snapchat was the two cats. She rarely posted her own face, and Mikey was pretty sure that some of her tumblr friends had never seen a picture of her on her Snapchat. 

 

“You know that all your Snapchat friends are only following you for the cats, right?” Mikey asked. 

 

“I know,” Gee said. “That’s how I get people to follow me on Snapchat. If people wanted my face, they’d follow my instagram.”

 

“I still don’t have one of those,” Mikey said. 

 

Gee shrugged. “It’s fun. I really only use it to follow the celebrities I care about. They post a lot more on Instagram than anywhere else.”

 

“I don't… I don't care about celebrities,” Mikey said. They didn't know who anyone was, aside from Brendon, and Brendon wasn't famous yet. She probably would be in a few years, because she was talented and not afraid to show off to get what she wanted. She also had a really good face and looked great on camera. 

 

Gee shrugged. “Guess you don't need instagram then.”

 

Mikey nodded. They were more concerned with tomorrow, and how that would go. They knew Brendon wouldn't be there, because she  _ had _ to be dramatic about her return. Mikey wanted her to be there, though. They'd missed Brendon, and they'd missed hanging out with her and all of her partners at once. 

 

Mikey never felt like a third or fourth wheel around Dallon, Spencer, and Brendon. They just felt like they were part of something. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	99. Waiting...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wouldn't call this a filler, more like a prep chapter for what's up next. Aka Brendon.

Mikey was tired. They hadn't slept well, and now they were stuck in the car because there was a fuckton of traffic trying to get into the school. 

 

Gee rubbed at her face, careful not to smudge her makeup. “God. It was never this busy before spring break. What the fuck is everyone's issue now?”

 

“I don't know,” Mikey said. They leaned their head against the window and thought about how much they wanted to curl up under blankets and not feel real again. “I want to sleep.”

 

“Big mood,” Gee said drily. 

 

The cars started to move, thankfully, and Gee and Mikey made it into the school before the light turned back to red again. Gee drove around looking for a parking spot that was somewhat close to the school, but that was impossible now. School started in less than ten minutes, and Gee and Mikey were going to have to suck it up and walk across the parking lot together. 

 

“Well, at least we're still a straight shot to the school,” Gee sighed. She grabbed all of her stuff and and got out of the car while Mikey was still scrambling for their gym bag. 

 

Mikey wasn't looking forward to gym today. They weren't looking forward to much of anything, except for the GSA. They'd missed their friends, and they wanted to just hang out and not think about Taylor being a bitch, or how transphobic Melanie was, or how so many of their friends were afraid to piss now. 

 

It wasn't fair. Mikey grabbed their gym bag and followed Gee through the parking lot and thought to themselves that their life would be so much easier if they lived somewhere like Chicago of New York or California where trans people weren't considered weird. 

 

“Want me to walk you to your first period?” Mikey asked as the two Way siblings walked into the school. 

 

Gee shook her head. “Nah. I still have to do my makeup. I don't want you to be late.”

 

“Mr. Armstrong won't care,” Mikey said. He might care that Mikey was late, but they knew they wouldn't get in trouble. Mr. Armstrong would probably just tell them not to do it again and then go back to whatever he'd been doing before. 

 

“Well, I still don't want you to be late,” Gee said, and then the two of them entered the girl's bathroom on the drama hallway. 

 

Dallon, Pete, Joe, and Patrick were all there, and everyone but Joe was working on their makeup. Joe was sitting on the floor and flipping back and forth over some music sheets. 

 

Mikey sat down beside aer. “What're you looking at?”

 

“Patrick wrote some stuff,” Joe said. “I'm helping her figure out the details.”

 

“Cool,” Mikey said. They knew absolutely nothing about sheet music. They didn't have any homework, either, because none of their teachers were horrible enough to assign them things over spring break. 

 

Dallon, Patrick, Pete, and Gee all had different methods of doing their makeup, and it was interesting enough to watch. Patrick was pretty simple. She had the foundation and blush and bronzer, and then some mascara and lipgloss and that seemed to be it. Pete had eyeliner, and there was a tube of black metallic lipstick sitting on the edge of the sink that they hadn't touched yet. Mikey hoped they would, because they thought that Pete would look cool in black lipstick. 

 

Gee had her usual setup of heavy eye stuff and pale as fuck foundation and concealer. Patrick and Dallon both had little brushes, but Gee was using her fingers for the most part. Dallon had an eyeshadow palette and was looking it over while they leaned against one of the bathroom stalls.

 

It looked like a scene out of a teen movie, except that all of the “lead girls” were nonbinary trans people and none of them were cool or popular. 

 

Pete twirled their eyeliner pencil around their finger. “I'm not looking forward to soccer tryouts next week. I haven't been keeping up with the exercises and I don't know if I'm gonna make it back on the team again. The trans shit doesn't help.”

 

“You will make it,” Joe said, making aer voice sound more dramatic. “You're the best and most gay soccer player ever. If they don't put you on the team, then they're homophobic.”

 

“Pretty sure that's not how it works,” Patrick said. 

 

Joe shook aer head. “Trick, I love you, but you don't know anything about sports. Pete not being on the team is homophobia. That's a fact.”

 

“Snapple fact,” Dallon muttered. They moved back in front of the mirror to start their eyeshadow. “Remember when you wouldn't shut up about those in the chat?”

 

“Oh yeah!” Joe said. Ae grinned and sat up against the wall. “We should bring that back. That was a good phrase.”

 

“Go for it,” Pete said. They went back to their eyeliner and started smudging it around more. They still hadn't touched the lipstick. Mikey wanted to tell them that they could. 

 

The bell rang, and everyone aside from Dallon, Pete, and Mikey gathered their things and left. Gee followed Patrick and Joe out, and there was an unspoken promise between the three of them that Joe would make sure the other two got to class okay. 

 

Mikey stood up and walked over to the sinks. They leaned against the space between the two sinks and picked up Pete's lipstick. “This looks cool.”

 

“Yeah,” Pete said. “I don't think I'm going to wear it though. It wouldn't look good on me.”

 

Mikey frowned. “There's no harm in trying it. And if you don't like it, just wipe it off.”

 

“I have wipes, too,” Dallon said. “If you want to take it off.”

 

Pete looked at the lipstick in Mikey's hand, and then at Mikey. They swallowed and grabbed it before uncapping it and putting it on. Mikey was right, and it looked cool. Pete looked very goth. Their hair was still blonde, but they'd been letting their roots show and it worked really well. Josh was an idiot for being a transphobic dumbass and not appreciating Pete. 

 

Pete looked at themself in the mirror for a long moment. They swallowed. “Okay. I can pull this off.”

 

“I told you,” Mikey said, grinning. 

 

Pete grinned back, and then stuffed their makeup into their backpack. The morning bell rang and the three of them scrambled to get the rest of their things together. Mikey walked out between their two friends and made sure Dallon got to their first period class before taking Pete to theirs. 

 

Pete seemed more quiet than usual. Mikey didn't know if it was because they were concerned about their makeup or if it was something else. 

 

They tapped Pete's shoulder. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

 

“About what?” Pete asked. 

 

“About whatever's bothering you,” Mikey said. “You're like, really quiet.”

 

“Nothing’s bothering me, Mikes,” Pete said. They put on a smile, but this one wasn’t as convincing as before. “I'm in a depression cycle, that's all. Sometimes I'm like this, sometimes I'm energetic. I don't get to choose it.”

 

“Bipolar?” Mikey asked. They remembered someone telling them that Pete was bipolar, but they didn't want to assume. 

 

Pete nodded. “It sucks. At least when I'm manic I don't give enough of a fuck about people's feelings to be self-conscious about myself.”

 

“If it makes you feel better, I think you look cool whether you're manic or not,” Mikey said. Gee only had depression, and so Mikey didn't know what to do or say to people who went both directions. They didn't know if being manic was good, or healthy, or if it was something to be avoided. 

 

Pete laughed. “Thanks Mikey.”

 

They stated at each other for a moment. Pete still looked nervous and sad, but there wasn't much else Mikey could do at the moment. They couldn't skip all of their classes and hang out with Pete so that Pete wasn't alone. They had their own life, and even though they wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to their friend, they couldn't. 

 

Mikey sighed. “I should probably get to class.”

 

“Yeah,” Pete said. “Don’t be late.”

 

“I won't,” Mikey said, and gave Pete finger guns before heading upstairs to Mr. Armstrong's room.

 

They got there before the bell rang but after Ashley had gone to her own first period. Frank offered them a piece of gum, which Mikey took without question. 

 

Frank smelled like cigarettes, which was normal, but today he smelled like he'd been smoking before class. Mikey didn't ask him about it. He assumed that Frank and Ashley had smoked, because they were friends without Mikey and Mikey had spent the morning with Gee and the others in the bathroom. 

 

“Dude, I'm so ready for the GSA meeting,” Frank said as the two of them packed up their things. 

 

Mikey frowned. “Is something important happening or did you just miss us?”

 

“I missed having a bunch of gay people to hang out with,” Frank said. “Ash and I never got to hang out over spring break because we were too far away from each other, and I'm not out to my dad or his girlfriend so I had to spend the entire week getting dead named and it sucked major ass.”

 

“I can imagine,” Mikey said. They were glad that their name came from their birthname now. Someone named Michelle calling themself Mikey was a lot easier for the cis to understand than someone named Antoinette calling themself Frank.

 

There was nothing wrong with a trans person having a name that was different from their dead name. Most trans people picked a completely different name on purpose so that they wouldn't be reminded of who they were not. Mikey was just too lazy to find a new name, and they were okay with their current name. They might change their legal name to Michael later, when they were an adult and they didn't have to worry about their parents, but for now, Mikey was fine. 

 

“I'm so jealous of Andy sometimes,” Frank continued. “You know his parents let him go on hormone blockers, right? And that he's going to start T next year? How the hell does that even happen?”

 

“I don't know,” Mikey said. They were glad that Andy could transition easily, but they wished that all of their friends had the same experience. Gee wouldn't be able to physically transition until she left the house, and Mikey hadn't bothered thinking about what they were doing because they knew they had at least four years before they could do anything. 

 

Frank shook his head. “Accepting parents confuse me. Like, is it really that easy? And if it is, why don't mine accept me?”

 

“Doesn't your mom think you're a lesbian, though?” Mikey asked. 

 

Frank waved his hand in the air. “Yeah, but when I tell her I'm a guy she's just like ‘oh that's nice sweetie, you're still my Toni.’ Like, dude. I was never your Toni. I'm your Frank.”

 

“Parents just suck,” Mikey said. 

 

“That's a mood,” Frank said. He and Mikey parted ways, and Mikey pulled out their headphones again.  _ Last Night _ by the Strokes came on, and Mikey bobbed their head along to the song as they walked. It was a good fucking song. 

 

Mikey didn't pay much attention to things that day. They were so concerned with tomorrow and Brendon's return that they weren’t paying attention to whatever was going on in class that day. They didn't even realise the final bell had rung until they looked up from their book and saw that almost everyone had left the classroom. 

 

Mikey grabbed their things and raced to Mr. Armstrong's room. They were the co-president of the GSA. They had to be at all the club meetings, and they were supposed to be there early in case there were any new people that week. 

 

There were new people. Melanie was back, and she'd brought Taylor for some reason. 

 

Mikey frowned at the two girls. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I belong here,” Melanie said. “I'm homosexual  _ and _ homoromantic.”

 

“You're still a shit tier person,” Mikey snapped without thinking about it. They didn’t care, in that moment, that Melanie was gay. She was transphobic, and she’d put Mikey’s friends in actual danger. Fuck her. Mikey didn’t want anything to do with her. 

 

Raya came up and stood beside Mikey. “They have a point. If either of you want to be in this club, you have to respect everyone. It’s called an  _ alliance _ for a reason.”

 

“You have to respect us, too,” Taylor snapped back at Raya. She put her hands on her hips. “We’re people too, or have you been brainwashed out of that, too?”

 

“I haven’t been brainwashed out of anything,” Raya said. “If you’re so concerned with women’s issues, though, we do have a feminism club. They meet before school on Wednesdays. You can try going there instead of harassing people here.”

 

Melanie looked around Raya and Mikey to the rest of the club. She and Taylor were outnumbered. Even if Tyler, Jenna, and Zach weren’t as accepting of trans people as they could be, there were still more trans people than there were cis. Melanie and Taylor were the minority, and unlike in real life, they weren’t oppressed for it. They were just being shown that assholery would not stand, not in this club. 

 

Taylor glared at Raya. “Whatever. You’re an ugly man anyway.”

 

“That’s ripe, coming from you,” Raya said, shrugging it off. “Have a day.”

 

Taylor rolled her eyes and dragged Melanie back out of the room. Raya closed the door behind them and turned to the club. She crossed her arms over her chest. “And that, friends, is how  _ not _ to treat minorities.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	100. hsm discourse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brendon's back! And I want to explain a few things. 1) I'm a disaster bisexual who saw inifinity war twice in one week and so I've started reading Steve/Bucky fic again. 2) I haven't been writing as much as usual because of that. 3) I'm trying to finish Keep Your Secrets and so I've been focusing more on that dude. 
> 
> Nohic isn't dying, don't worry. But if you've been following this for any amount of time, you probably know that I'm the worst when it comes to having a schedule for things. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Brendon wasn’t in school the next morning. Spencer had coffee for himself and Mikey, but the two of them drank it in silence outside of the bathroom. Dallon and some of their other friends were inside, getting ready. 

 

“What if she’s not okay?” Spencer said. He spun his straw around. “I mean, it’s Brendon, so she’s not going to let something like the flu stop her from showing up to drama, but what if Raya’s mom isn’t letting her because she’s being a careful person?”

 

“I don’t think anyone can stop Brendon from getting what she wants,” Mikey said. 

 

Spencer nodded. “Yeah. Alright, good point. But how strong is Raya’s mom?”

 

“I don’t know,” Mikey said. “I’ve never tried to get away from her. She’s usually pretty chill with Gee and I whenever we’re at Raya’s house.”

 

“Shit,” Spencer said. “So we have no idea what Brendon’s working with.”

 

“You could text her,” Mikey said. They drank from their coffee. It was iced, because it was after spring break and Spencer had decided that it was warm enough for iced coffee again. Mikey wasn’t going to argue. It was free coffee. 

 

Spencer stirred his straw around. “I know. I have, actually, but she’s being cryptic again. I hate when she does that.”

 

“Have you told her?” Mikey asked. They frowned. They didn’t want Spencer and Brendon to be having relationship issues. They were s happy for the three of them, and they didn’t want anything bad to happen to their relationship. 

 

“It’s not bad, Mikes,” Spencer said. He smiled to himself. “It’s kind of cute, sometimes. Brendon gets really excited whenever she gets to do something big and dramatic.”

 

The bell rang, and Spencer and Mikey stood up. They waited for all of their friends to leave the bathroom and then they all headed, as a clump, to everyone’s classes. Mikey hated that this had become a normal event, but it was better than letting someone walk alone and then have them potentially get assaulted. 

 

Mikey didn’t try to text Brendon during first period. They knew that Mr. Armstrong wouldn’t care too much, but they didn’t want Frank to ask about what was going on. Mikey didn’t know why, but they were worried about everyone finding out that Brendon was coming back today. They were paranoid that something would go wrong if too many people knew what was going on. 

 

As soon as they sat down in second period, however, they whipped out their phone and went straight to Kik. They wanted to make sure that Brendon was still showing up, because they didn’t want her to lose her role to anyone, but especially not to Taylor. Taylor was a bitch, and that was putting it lightly.

 

-private message to  **brendolyn** -

 

**mijey** : hey not to be annoying but ur still coming back today right

**brendolyn** : yeah im just getting some shit done beforehand

**brendolyn** : i’ll be there before rehearsal dw

**mijey** : ok

**mijey** : don’t do anything dumb

**brendolyn** : that’s ur job buddy

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. They weren’t that dumb. They were just oblivious sometimes, and it made them seem as though they didn’t know anything. They knew some things, but not everything. 

 

**mijey** : school is strangely boring wthout u

**brendolyn** : ur just now telling me this???

**brendolyn** : mikey im not going to come back faster even if u give me sad eyes

**mijey** : i think it’s bc i know ur coming back

**mijey** : before we were all just worried but now i know ur ok and that ur returning so i’m impatient

**brendolyn** : im glad to be back

**brendolyn** : not looking forward to the excess transphobia but i’ve missed you guys

**mijey** : we’ve missed u too

 

Mikey put their phone down and went back to their assignment. They could feel their teacher watching them, and they didn’t want to get their phone taken away. Not today. Today was important. 

 

They ended up sitting next to Pete at lunch. Mikey liked that they were friends with Pete now, and that things were no longer weird. Pete was still trying to get over Josh, and Mikey felt bad for them about that. Josh had seemed okay, up until he wasn’t. Mikey had thought that he was just a cis guy who didn’t know a lot about trans stuff, and that he was trying to learn. They’d been wrong, and Pete had gotten hurt because of it. 

 

“So I heard that Josh and Tyler are fighting,” Frank said. 

 

Mikey frowned. They still weren’t sure if Andy knew the truth or not. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean they were fighting,” Frank said. “That’s what Ashley told me. I don’t hang out with them.”

 

“Good,” Pete said. “Don’t hang out with my exes.”

 

“Then what the fuck is Mikey doing here?” Joe asked. 

 

Mikey flipped aer off. “First of all, Pete and I never dated. Second of all, I apologised to Pete for breaking up with them. Josh hasn’t done that.”

 

“He better,” Andy said, and mimicked cutting a throat with his plastic spoon. They didn’t have knives. Mikey figured that was a good thing, but it made eating school lunches hard. 

 

Patrick handed his plastic knife (from home) over to Andy, and Andy repeated the motion. Andy grinned. “No one makes my friends sad.”

 

“I thought you were a pacifist,” Pete said. 

 

“I am,” Andy said. “But only to people who treat my friends right.”

 

That explained why Andy had always been the one threatening Mikey during their time with Pete. Mikey wasn’t going to call him out on being a bit of a hypocrite, because he was consistent. That counted for something in Mikey’s mind. 

 

“What if I exposed you to the group chat?” Pete asked. They pulled their phone out and wiggled it in the air. They’d painted their nails a sparkly dark purple colour, and they glinted in the cafeteria lights. 

 

Andy shrugged. “Go for it. I have nothing to hide.”

 

“Oh shit,” Joe exclaimed. “Dallon never gave me a dollar! Mikey, next time you see Dallon--or Spencer--make sure they remember to give me their money for the sin jar. I haven’t forgotten that.”

 

“I’ll let them know,” Mikey said. They didn’t ask Joe why ae assumed Mikey would be the next one to see Spencer and Dallon. Mikey hung out with the two of them a lot. It wasn’t on purpose. Mikey liked hanging out with Spencer and Dallon (and Brendon, when she wasn’t sick or hiding at Raya’s house). It had nothing to do with Mikey’s crush on Dallon. They were doing their best to ignore that. 

 

The bell rang, and the six of them scattered to their next class. Mikey and Pete walked together, which was a new development. They had classes on the same hall, and Pete had been outed in Melanie’s shitty post. Mikey wasn’t intimidating, and they were pretty sure Pete could take care of themself if someone tried to hurt them. They walked with Pete anyway. It seemed to calm Pete down, at least. Pete wasn’t as stressed when Mikey was with them. 

 

Pete paused in the doorway. “So, I’ll see you in drama?”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said. “Stay cool.”

 

“They turned on the AC,” Pete said, and grinned at their own joke. “I don’t have any other option.”

 

Mikey rolled their eyes. “You know what I meant, asshole.”

 

“Yeah I did,” Pete said. “But sometimes when you see an oppurtunity, you have to take it.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Mikey said. They gave Pete a peace sign and headed back to their own class. They were still thinking about Brendon, and how no one had said anything about her returning to school. Mikey knew she was coming, as did Spencer and Dallon, but they wanted her to be back already. 

 

**mijey** : whom else is worried about life in general on this fine tuesday

**bihalsey** : same but why

**mijey** : Anxiety

**vampiregee** : mikey you’re so relatable this is why you’re famous

**mijey** : not really

**mijey** : i think you might be the more famous one now bc of killjoys

**vampiregee** : oh hell yeah

 

- **vampiregee** changed their name to  **killjoygee** -

 

**killjoygee** : i’m fresh and new now

**fanklin** : shouldn’t u be furrygee

**killjoygee** : no

**momfriend** : gee accept the facts. the facts are that ur a fuckin furry

**killjoygee** : i would hate you but i’ve known you since i was 5 so that’s not fair to anyone

**bihalsey** : wait so ur actually a furry? do u have a fursona and all that???

**killjoygee** : yes but i’m not putting it in the chat bc i’m afraid one day i’ll wake up and you’ll all have my fursona as ur icon 

**momfriend** : we can find it

**killjoygee** : no you cant

**mijey** : don’t underestimate us gee we have the power of numbers on our side

**zoid** : you guys have fun with that i’m gonna be doing adult things like texting while i wait for a job interview

**dallonowesmeadollar** : oh shit good luck

**zoid** : thanks

 

Mikey rubbed their hands over their face. One more class, and then drama rehearsal. They still hadn’t heard anything from Brendon. There was a small part of them that was starting to lose faith in her. What if something had gone wrong, and she wasn’t going to make it? Then Taylor would get the role of Reno, and Mikey would have to spend the next six weeks listening to Taylor’s voice crack as she tried to hit all of the high notes. 

 

Taylor was not meant to be a main character. She didn’t have the vocal range. 

 

Mikey paused. They were really turning in to a theatre kid. This was not how they’d imagined their freshman year to go. They’d expected to blend in with everyone else, not be a part of anything big, but apparently life wasn’t going in that direction for them. They’d made friends with the Sharpay of Castle High School, and now they had to live with it. 

 

At least Brendon as Sharpay wasn’t a huge bitch. 

 

**mijey** : sharpay evans was a bitch, thoughts?

**dadeth** : That you’re wrong. Sharpay worked her ass off, had a routine ready to go, and got kicked out of her rightful role by Miss Science Chick and  a douchey jock who wanted to get laid. 

**bihalsey** : well thats an opinion

**dadeth** : I have a lot of thoughts about High School Musical. It’s a work of art

**pebter** : i loved the second one

**dallonowesmeadollar** : u guys kno thats what we have to look forward to right? working for a bunch of rich ppl and never making it anywhere in life?

**mijey** : zac efron made it into juliard

**dadeth** : First of all. His name is Troy Bolton. Second of all, he didn’t deserve that, because he didn’t even apply, and someone sent in the application for him, and he probably only made it in because again. Rich, douchey jock. 

**pebter** : welcome to the hsm discourse channel

 

- **mijey** changed the name of the group to  **hsm discourse** -

 

**pebter** : mikey gets me :P

**mijey** : dont :P me

**pebter** : >:P

 

The final bell rang then, startling Mikey and causing them to drop their phone into their lap. They quickly gathered all of their things, shoved their phone into their pocket, and raced to the theatre. 

 

Pete and Andy were already there, and so Mikey slid in next to them. Dallon showed up next, and sat on the other side of Mikey. Ashley and Sarah sat behind them, along with Lindsey, and then Spencer showed up and sat on the other side of Dallon. 

 

Andy kicked his feet up onto the seat in front of them. “Looks like Tyler’s abandoned us.”

 

“No complaints here,” Dallon said. 

 

Mikey raised their eyebrows. They knew that Tyler could be annoying sometimes, but they hadn’t noticed Dallon getting annoyed with him. Then they remembered all the times Dallon had had a snappy comeback for something Tyler said, and it made much more sense. Mikey bit at their nail, but didn’t say anything about Tyler. They didn’t care about him enough to have a real opinion. 

 

“Spencer, could you come up on stage for me?” Veronica called out. She was standing up on the stage, along with Taylor and two other girls Mikey didn’t know. They assumed the girls were also hoping to get the role or Reno. Mikey didn’t blame them; it was the lead role, and it seemed pretty fun. Mikey wasn’t interested in being in the spotlight, though. They didn’t want to take Reno from Brendon. 

 

Spencer looked over at Dallon and Mikey, and then back up at Veronica. “Is… are we starting now?”

 

“We have to start eventually,” she said. “And I want to get this tryout out of the way. We still have a lot of work to do before the show.”

 

Spencer nodded, and slowly got out of his seat. Mikey could tell that he was trying to stall, to give Brendon some more time to get to the theatre. She wasn’t anywhere. Mikey knew she’d be making an entrance, because she was Brendon and that was what she did. They couldn’t have missed her; Brendon wouldn’t have let that happen. 

 

She wasn’t here, and Taylor was going to end up getting her part, and the musical was going to suck balls. 

 

Spencer stepped up onto the stage, glared at Taylor for a second, and then approached Veronica. He put his hands in his pockets. “So… what do you want me to do?”

 

“Since you’ve already been cast as Billy Crocker, I’ll be measuring the girls’ singing ability as well as their compatibility with you,” Veronica said. “There needs to be friendly chemistry, some kind of understood banter, even if you two don’t have that off the stage. I can’t teach that now, we’ve passed that point in the year.”

 

Spencer nodded. 

 

Veronica turned to the three girls. “You’ll each be singing  _ You’re the Top _ with Spencer. Remember, he’s Billy Crocker on this stage, and you’re Reno. You’re his confidant. Stay in character.”

 

“Of course, Ms. Jones,” Taylor said in her sickly sweet little voice. Mikey hated it. They assumed she didn't have chemistry with anyone because of how fake she was. She wasn’t even the acting type of fake, where there was purpose behind it. She was just a piece of shit. 

 

Veronica raised an eyebrow at Taylor. “Would you like to go first then, Miss Swift?”

 

Taylor looked back at the two other girls, and Mikey couldn’t tell if she was silently threatening them to stay put, or if she was pretending to care about their opinion. She looked back to Veronica and tucked a piece of perfectly curled blonde hair behind her ear. “I guess so. I’m ready whenever you guys are.”

 

Spencer looked out at the audience, searching for Brendon. She wasn’t there. 

 

Dallon rubbed their face. “This isn’t good.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey said, because they couldn’t think of anything better to say. They didn’t think there was anything else to say on the matter. Brendon wasn’t here, and now some subpar actress was going to get the lead role and the musical was going to suck. 

 

Spencer and Taylor took their places on the state. The set wasn’t finished yet, so they were just standing in the middle and looking at each other. Taylor looked over at Veronica, who nodded, and then she tumbled into her role as Reno. 

 

“Where’s the old Crocker confidence?” Taylor crooned as she waltzed across to Spencer and leaned against him. She was supposed to playfully punch his arm. She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her hip out, still trying to be sexy. “You think you teabag can compete with you? You think he has one tiny fraction of ya  _ brains _ ? Ya looks? Your… your…”

 

Taylor trailed off as the piano music started up. She straightened up, ready to belt out the lyrics, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the door in the back of the theatre banged shut and nearly everyone turned to see who it was. 

 

The piano kept going, and Brendon, dressed in full costume and stiletto heels, broke into the opening lyrics. Taylor was singing as well, trying to be louder than Brendon, but Brendon was naturally better at projecting, and she was harmonising with Taylor’s sad attempt at a full soprano while striding down the aisle. 

 

“But it this ditty is not so pretty,” Brendon sang, and leapt up onto the stage without breaking anything, “at least it’ll tell you how great you are!”

 

Spencer broke character long enough to grin at her and pull Brendon into a twirl while she sang the chorus to him. There was choreography. At some point since Mikey had last seen her, Brendon had gotten extensions, and she’d had them curled and done up in 1940’s style Victory rolls. 

 

There was dramatic, there was impressive, and then there was Brendon Fucking Urie. Dallon reached out and squeezed Mikey’s hand and Brendon took the song back from Taylor. “She fucking did it.”

 

“I know,” Mikey said, and squeezed back. “She’s awesome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos, and feel free to interact with the cast on their tumblr, @ask-nohic!


	101. soft oof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again: the opinions expressed by characters in this fic do not necessarily reflect my own. Nohic is supposed to be a reflection of how teenagers are, not necessarily how I am as a person. 
> 
> Warning for some transphobic language

Mikey hugged the shit out of Brendon as soon as rehearsal was over. She’d kept her part, obviously, but Mikey was more excited about the fact that Brendon was  _ back _ . She wasn’t going anywhere. She was safe with Raya and her mom, and even though that wasn’t permanent, it meant she could be who she really was. 

 

Brendon was gorgeous, too, now that she could dress herself how she wanted. She was glowing and laughing and holding onto Mikey as well, and they realised she was wearing perfume. Mikey had known all of this before, sans the perfume thing, but this felt different. This was Brendon how she was supposed to be, without anyone telling her she was wrong. 

 

Mikey had a crush on her, but they weren’t freaking out, because there was nothing to freak out over. Brendon was Brendon, and she was hot and she was in love with Spencer and Dallon. Mikey didn’t need a relationship to be happy. They were happy for their friends just the way things were. 

 

Brendon looped her arm around Mikey’s shoulders and turned to face the rest of the group. “So. How’s that for an entrance?”

 

“You’re something else,” Lindsey said, and gave her a high-five. 

 

“I know,” Brendon said. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder, and grinned. “Wanna go get food?”

 

“Where?” Dallon asked. They looked past everyone, to where Tyler and his friends were all hovering near the stage. “I don’t want to go to Taco Bell, in case Tyler’s there.”

 

“You really don’t like him,” Sarah said. She pulled out her phone and tapped something on it. “But there’s a Wendy’s across from the shitty McDonalds. We can go there.”

 

“Hell yeah,” Brendon said. “How many cars do we have?”

 

“If we wait, I can summon the Trohmobile?” Pete offered. Everyone agreed to that. Between Joe’s car and Spencer’s, there would be enough room for everyone. Gee had gone home before rehearsal, so Mikey sent her a text and let her know what they were doing. 

 

The nine of them waited outside until Joe pulled up. Patrick was sitting in the passenger seat, and Pete pretended to be offended for about three seconds before grabbing Ashley and Andy and pulling them into the van. Sarah and Lindsey got in as well, leaving Brendon, Dallon, Spencer, and Mikey out. 

 

Lindsey leaned out of the van. “We’ll meet you there?”

 

“Grab us a table,” Spencer said, nodding. 

 

Lindsey gave him a peace sign and then it closed the van door. Joe backed up and pulled out of the school, and Mikey followed the rest of their friends down to the parking lot. Spencer’s car was parked about halfway down the lot, and it was alone. 

 

“Brendon!” someone called out. 

 

Brendon turned, as did the others. Mikey wasn’t surprised to see Taylor there. They were surprised to see that Tyler, Jenna, Josh, and Melanie were also with her, and that Josh looked like he didn’t want to be with them. 

 

Brendon crossed her arms over her chest. “Can I help you?”

 

“Yes, by taking that ugly wig off,” Taylor said. She stormed up to Brendon and yanked at her hair, and Brendon shoved her back. Taylor spat. “You dick! What’s wrong with you?!”

 

“What’s wrong with  _ me _ ?” Brendon asked. She was surprisingly calm. “I’m not the one who just yanked someone’s hair.”

 

“You’ll never be anything more than a man in a wig,” Taylor said. 

 

“And you’ll never be anything but a knock off Regina George,” Spencer said. “So why don’t you do us all a favour, and fuck off.”

 

Melanie rolled her eyes. “You’re wasting your time defending him. Just accept that you’re a homosexual and move on.”

 

“I already did, but thanks for the non-advice,” Spencer said. He was not as calm as Brendon. He looked past Melanie and Taylor, at the other three. “And what do you guys have to say for yourselves?”

 

“We’re not--” Jenna said, but she didn’t seem to know how to finish her sentence. Mikey was disappointed, but not surprised. They wanted Jenna to be a good person, of course they did, but she was dating Tyler and Tyler was friends with Josh and Melanie, both of whom were transphobic. 

 

“That’s what I thought,” Spencer said. Tyler and Josh hadn’t said anything. He put his arm around Dallon and Brendon both, and motioned for Mikey to follow him. “Don’t talk to me or my friends ever again, okay? If you guys wanna keep showing up to the GSA, I can’t stop you, but I won’t let you lay a hand on the people I care about.”

 

Dallon raised their hand and flipped the group off. “Essentially, go fuck yourselves. In the non-asexual friendly way.”

 

Mikey winced at that. They pushed Dallon and Brendon towards the car, away from the other five. Yes, Tyler, Jenna, and Josh were a part of the problem for not calling Melanie and Taylor on their transphobia, but Dallon shouldn’t have used their sexual orientation as an insult. That was shitty no matter what. There were other things to use against them. 

 

Mikey got in the back with Dallon, and Brendon took shotgun. As soon as Spencer put the car in drive, she turned around and punched Dallon’s leg. “What the hell was that?”

 

“What?” Dallon said back. 

 

“You can’t--Josh and Tyler are shit heads for not saying anything but you can’t just use someone’s orientation against them!” Brendon said. She shook her head. “That wasn’t cool, Dal.”

 

“She’s right,” Mikey said softly, when Dallon hadn’t said anything. 

 

Dallon sighed. “Yeah, okay. I’m not going to apologise for it, though.”

 

“If they apologise for letting Melanie and Taylor harass us, then you should apologise,” Spencer said. He tapped his thumb against the steering wheel. “I think you guys both fucked up.”

 

“Me telling Tyler and Josh to go fuck themselves is nothing compared to what Melanie and Taylor were saying,” Dallon said back. 

 

Spencer gave them a look. 

 

Dallon frowned. “You’re right.”

 

“Of course he’s right,” Brendon said. “He’s Spencer.”

 

Spencer smiled at that, and turned up the music. It was Vesperteen, that one band Spencer had fallen in love with over winter break. He drove the four of them to the Wendy’s, where everyone else had clustered around two booths in the back. 

 

It wasn’t very busy, given that it was a Friday and nine in the evening. Mikey started towards the table, but Brendon looped her arm around theirs and pulled them in line with Spencer and Dallon. Mikey frowned and looked up at her. They didn’t have any money, and they’d been planning to steal peoples fries and an occasional chicken nugget. They were fourteen and still growing and no one would care if they had a chicken nuggets and stolen fries for dinner. 

 

Brendon pushed Mikey’s glasses up their nose. “I’ve got you covered. Don’t worry.”

 

“You sure?” Mikey asked, slowly. 

 

“Yep,” Brendon said. She pulled Mikey forward again, and then the four of them were at the counter. “I missed you. And you’ve done enough for me, so, free food it is.”

 

Mikey felt their face going red, and they pretended it was a result of talking to strangers. It wasn’t. They just didn’t want Spencer or Dallon to pick up on Mikey’s feelings for their girlfriend. That would make things awkward, and Mikey liked their friendship with Spencer, Dallon, and Brendon. They didn’t want their feelings to get in the way of that. 

 

“Do you want chocolate or vanilla?” Spencer asked. 

 

Mikey looked up. “What?”

 

“For the frosty,” Spencer added. He motioned towards the cashier, who was watching the four of them with the exasperated look that only customer service people could master. 

 

“Chocolate’s fine,” Mikey said. They looked at the other three. “Thanks, by the way.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Dallon said. They smiled down at Mikey, and then when everyone was finished ordering, lead Mikey over to the rest of their friends. Mikey felt like they were going to be okay, even if things didn’t work out perfectly. They had friends, and they had Pete. And they had a free chocolate Frosty and some chicken nuggets. Life didn’t get much better than that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	102. hot thottie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'm gonna just call it "hot thottie"  
> Dallon: did you just say "hot thottie"?  
> Me: I did
> 
> And that is all you need to know going into this chapter.

Mikey was bored. They knew that Gee was working on some important comic shit, but she wouldn’t let them see what it was. Mikey didn’t think that was fair, since they were just as involved in the comic as their sister. 

 

“Please?” Mikey said. 

 

“I’m not telling you until I’m done,” Gee said. “Go text your friends, dude.”

 

“I’d rather annoy you, actually,” Mikey said. 

 

Gee looked up from her tablet. “Hey, Mikey?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“That’s really homophobic,” Gee said. She broke into a grin and Mikey flipped her off. Gee laughed. “You’re inconveniencing me, a known gay, and that’s homophobia.  _ Peak _ homophobia, actually.”

 

“You’re the worst,” Mikey said. They pulled out their phone and sent a zoomed in picture of Gee to Pete on Snapchat. “I’m sending Pete your gremlin face.”

 

“Tell Pete hi,” Gee said. “And that I’m not a gremlin, I’m a vampire.”

 

“Spooky,” Mikey said. They checked their phone to see that Pete had responded with a video zooming in on Andy’s face. Mikey wasn’t surprised to see that Andy was at Pete’s house. That was normal for the two of them, since they lived across the street from each other. 

 

Mikey wondered what it would be like to live across the street from their best friend. They had no idea who their best friend was, which was part of the problem. They could say it was Gee, but that just sounded sad. Who considered their sibling their best friend? Mikey liked Gee, and the two got along really well, but Mikey didn’t want to think that Gee was their  _ best friend _ . Mikey didn’t believe in overlapping roles. They couldn’t have a sibling who was also their best friend, and they couldn’t date someone who was their best friend. 

 

They liked to have things separated. They wanted to like who ever they dated, because that seemed like a good idea, but they didn’t want their boyfriend or girlfriend to be their best friend because then they’d be pouring everything into one person. That was too much at once. 

 

Mikey opened twitter up on their phone. Pete hadn’t updated their twitter in a while. Since February, to be exact. For a moment, Mikey wondered if Pete’s twitter had only existed so that they could get Mikey’s attention, but that didn’t make sense. Pete was their own person. Pete didn’t exist for Mikey, or because of Mikey. They could do whatever they wanted. 

 

Besides, Pete was still posting on instagram and snapchat. They probably just wanted a break from twitter, or they’d moved to tumblr or something. Twitter wasn’t for everyone. 

 

Pete and Mikey were still following each other. Mikey searched for Brendon, because they had a feeling that Brendon had a twitter. Sure enough, she did. It was @brenurie and her profile picture was her in Raya’s bathroom wearing a bikini top and a pair of ripped jeans. 

 

**_hot thottie @brenurie_ **

_ siri why are we all crushing on the dumbest bitch ever _

 

**_hot thottie @brenurie_ **

_ “i deserve the lead role” she said before literally only singing two notes during her try out *eye roll* _

 

**_hot thottie @brenurie_ **

_ jokes on you school ppl i’m the thottiest thot but bc u think my dick determines my gender i can walk in here tiddies out with no issues _

 

Mikey laughed at that one. Brendon’s twitter was an accurate reflection of her personality, including plenty of selfies and roasting the Kardashians. Mikey wasn’t surprised to find out that Brendon followed all the Kardashian sisters despite seeming to hate them. It was a very Brendon thing to do. 

 

“What are you laughing at?” Gee asked. “Vines?”

 

“No,” Mikey said. “I found Brendon’s twitter. She’s hilarious.”

 

“Does she talk about you at all?” Gee asked. There was something weird in her tone, but Mikey couldn’t figure it out. They figured that it wasn’t that important. Gee didn't hold things back from Mikey. 

 

“Don’t think so,” Mikey said. “But I’m only a few days in.”

 

“Jeez,” Gee said. She shook her head. “Have fun with that.”

 

“I will, thank you,” Mikey said. 

 

Brendon also had a bunch of pictures with Spencer and Dallon, and one where she and Pete were clearly in an Urban Outfitters making fun of instagram hipster fashion. She was pretty, and she knew how to angle herself so that she looked further along in her transition than she really was. She also had some wigs that she’d probably lost when her parents kicked her out. She was really good at taking pictures of herself, and she was funny. 

 

“Tell me when you’re done with the comic,” Mikey said. “Otherwise I’m gonna end up a year deep in Brendon’s twitter and accidentally like something and then she’ll have to kill me for being a fucking weirdo.”

 

“Just unlike it,” Gee said. “I’ve done that before, and it’s not as bad as you think it is.”

 

“Yeah, but you do it with super famous people who have their notifications off anyway,” Mikey said. “Brendon has as many followers as I do. She’ll see it. She’ll know.”

 

“You’re so dramatic,” Gee said. Mikey couldn’t see her face because her hair had fallen into her eyes, but they could tell that she was rolling her eyes at them. 

 

“I’m a theatre kid,” Mikey said. “Of course I’m dramatic.”

 

“I know this, and I deal with it,” Gee said. Mikey flipped her off, thinking Gee wouldn’t see, but Gee flipped them back off and then laughed. 

 

It wasn’t an exciting day, but it was a good day. Mikey ended up taking a nap, and they weren’t sure if it was because they were depressed, bored, or tired, but they woke up refreshed so it didn’t matter. Sometimes sleeping was nice. Usually sleeping was nice, but Mikey was also really bad at sleeping so they didn’t have a lot of experience. 

 

“Oh, hey, I’m done,” Gee said. She handed her laptop to Mikey. “I just posted the comic to our tumblr, so feel free to share it on twitter whenever you think you should.”

 

“Do you really think I know the best times to post things?” Mikey asked. They took the laptop and opened the first page of the update. “I post things at three in the morning and they get a bunch of retweets. I don’t know what I’m doing and I never will.”

 

“Amazing,” Gee said. “What if we had a YouTube channel?”

 

“Are we cool enough for YouTube?” Mikey asked. 

 

“Don’t know,” Gee said. “But we could do art streams and talk about trans shit and maybe people would care. Frank knows how to edit videos.”

 

“Man, imagine if we got everyone in the GSA to be a part of it,” Mikey said. They laughed. “That would be hilarious. Just, like, twenty queer kids vlogging about random shit.”

 

“It could work,” Gee said. “Stranger channels have gotten famous.”

 

“Maybe that can be our summer project,” Mikey said. They could actually imagine having a group YouTube channel. It would be kind of fun to do, especially since they’d all be doing seperate things over the summer. The group chat would make it easy for them to coordinate when everyone was uploading, too. 

 

“Maybe,” Gee said. “We’d need a name.”

 

“We have a couple of months,” Mikey said. “What’s the last day of school again?”

 

“May 25,” Gee said. “And graduation is the Saturday after. I don’t know if Lindsey has any plans for that, but maybe if it has a grad party that can be our first video. Maybe. It’d be a good chance to practice vlogging.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Mikey said. 

 

**mijey** : gee wants to start a group youtube channel

**brendolyn** : why we dont live in california

**mijey** : idk

**pebter** : how would that even work

**mijey** : again idk

**mijey** : im assuming we’d just upload shit whenever we had something to upload

**fangzout** : sounds chaotic as shit i’m in

**mijey** : yeet

**fangzout** : i changed my mind im out actually

**mijey** : because i said yeet????

**fangzout** : yea i cant have that kind of negativity in my life

**pebter** : oh worm?

**fangzout** : pete what the fuck

**pebter** : picked it up on the tungl

**bball_ace** : u know thats aphobic rhetoric right? 

**pebter** : im sorry what

**hurleyxvx** : yea hi im ace and uhhh what

**hurleyxvx** : everyone who’s been on tumblr for more than a year calls it tungle or some variation

**bball_ace** : yeah well most people who use that kind of terminology are also regs

**pebter** : o worm

**pebter** : i don’t know shit about ace discourse i just reblog dicks

**mijey** : of course you do

**fangzout** : you guys are fuckin weird i dont have a tumblr theme anymore i just see shit and reblog it and hope for serotonin

**hatrick** : i feel that but with twitter not tumblr

**pebter** : thats why i cant follow u on twitter u never shut the fuck up with retweets

**mijey** : listen at least none of us have a really annoying insta account full of stolen content from tumblr and twitter

**bihalsey** : actually lynn and i had one that’s how we met

**bihalsey** : it was like officiallarrymemes or something

**bihalsey** : i dont think it exists anymore so now no one can see how embarrassing we were in middle school

**mijey** : oh cant relate my twitter goes back to sixth grade

**bihalsey** : thats terrifying whats ur twitter url so i can go laugh at fetus u

**mijey** : no

**bihalsey** : aw

**brendolyn** : i cant believe this started with us having a group youtube and now we’re roasting our middle school selves

**brendolyn** : i missed this chat

**bihalsey** : well we missed you you iconic bitch

**brendolyn** : not to like expose myself but u guys should follow carmen king on youtube she’s literally the cis version of me

**hatrick** : next time i can’t sleep and end up on youtube i’ll check her out

**pebter** : worm

**fangzout** : pete why are you like this

**pebter** : i have depression gabrielle

**fangzout** : that explains like…. half ur personality

**hatrick** : thats because they’re actually bipolar

**pebter** : yeah

**pebter** : the shit that i cant explain with depression is usually explained with mania

**hatrick** : aka why u bleached ur hair

**pebter** : yes

**mijey** : so

**mijey** : this conversation has been fun but uhh youtube concept or nah

**brendolyn** : only if you don’t expect us to become the new gay team ten

**mijey** : i’ll kick u off the channel if you try that

**brendolyn** : good

**brendolyn** : im keeping you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


End file.
